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Petter considering car switch again
Latvala ends Loeb's winning streak
Loeb and Elena given two minute penalty
FULL P-WRC Round Up
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Click Here Petter considering car switch again
After scoring his second podium finish of the year on Rally d’Italia, Petter Solberg is once again considering a car swap ahead of the next round in Greece.
The rally in Sardinia was Petter’s first in his upgraded 2006-specification Xsara WRC, and although he said it performed better than the active differential car he has campaigned so far this season, the Norwegian is still after a car with true podium potential.
Solberg completed the rally route in fourth place but was later promoted to third place when Sebastien Loeb was given a two-minute penalty for breaking safety belt regulations. “We were leaving the Service Park for the finish ceremony in Porto Cervo when we were told about the penalty,” said Petter.
“It was good event for me and for the whole team. We have been fast many times, and third place makes up for the one we lost in Argentina. Too bad for Loeb, but there is nothing I can do about that.
“We had a good fight with Sebastien. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I was ready and it was good to be fighting again. We had good first two stages, then we had a problem with the steering after service. I fixed it after the first stage and then we were on the limit on the last two. There was nothing more we could do.”
One thing his could do is get a quicker car. And ahead of another hot rally in Greece next month, Solberg admitted he was still considering this option - with a Peugeot 307 the most likely replacement.
Petter said: "I feel stuck in the corner. I have done a few rallies now and I know where I am. We are going to have this question, me and Phil, and see what we can do for the next rally. It will be the same temperature on the next rally, we have to really think - I don’t want to waste time. I’m having a lot of fun, but now we have to sit down and analyse. I know it’s not possible to push harder in the warm temperatures. I still have a little bit to go Latvala ends Loeb's winning streak (By Matt Beer)
Jari-Matti Latvala turned his troubled season around and ended Sebastien Loeb's unbeaten run in the 2009 World Rally Championship by winning the Rally Sardinia.
The Finn, who led home team-mate Mikko Hirvonen in a Ford one-two ahead of Loeb, had started his season with a string of mistakes, including a ferocious accident in Portugal that saw his car roll 17 times down the side of a cliff.
Ford kept faith with Latvala despite his lack of points, and he rewarded team boss Malcolm Wilson with a consummate victory in Italy this weekend.
"It is a big relief," said Latvala. "It was a great thing that I was able to win this rally, it really means a lot to me. It's been unbelievable, but I have also been a little bit lucky with things being on my side. This has come at a really important point."
With road order expected to be a major factor this weekend, Latvala benefited from his seventh place in the starting list to lead on Friday, while Loeb and Hirvonen both deliberately dropped time at the end of the first leg in a bid to ensure the other had less favourable conditions for Saturday - allowing Latvala to end the day 40s in front.
While Hirvonen closed the gap to 9s during leg two, Loeb's challenge for victory ended when he was delayed by a puncture.
It looked like Hirvonen would easily overcome Latvala before the finish, but suddenly this morning running first on the road became an advantage rather than a disadvantage, as dust hung in the very still air and ruined visibility for those chasing Latvala - which meant the young Finn could pull away again.
Ford then resisted the temptation to apply team orders, allowing Latvala to come home 29.4s clear of Hirvonen.
Loeb recovered to third, beating Petter Solberg on the final loop, but the world champion's position is in some doubt as the FIA is investigating whether seat belt rules were adhered to immediately before he stopped to change his puncture on Saturday. He said that if he kept third he would be relatively satisfied given his tricky weekend.
"It's still third place, so we keep the lead of the championship and we lose only two points - for the moment, it looks like that," said Loeb. "It didn't work this weekend, everything was bad, so third is not so bad."
To add to Citroen's disappointment, Loeb's team-mate Dani Sordo was never a factor, due to turbo problems of varying severity on all three days and a damaging rock impact on Friday.
Solberg did not give up third without a fight, but had to settle for fourth, 14s behind Loeb.
Evgeny Novikov drove conservately today to ensure a breakthrough fifth place - exactly the kind of sensible result the Citroen Junior team had urged its drivers to aim for. His team-mates Sebastien Ogier (who had also been a top six contender at first) and Conrad Rautenbach both had to use superally after damper failures, although Ogier's rally ended with a brush with a barrier on Saturday.
Their incidents were typical of the attrition that decimated the rest of the WRC field. Henning Solberg (Stobart Ford) battled with Novikov and Ogier until leg two, when he first picked up a puncture then later broke his front suspension.
Hydraulic problems on Friday morning left Solberg's team-mate Matthew Wilson trailing the field right from the start, but the dramas ahead helped him recover to sixth.
Adapta Subaru's Mads Ostberg could have done even better than seventh after his best drive of the year so far. He was challenging Novikov for fifth until a steering arm broke at the end of leg two, then held off fellow superally runner Solberg by just 0.6s today. Solberg did all he could to catch the Subaru, winning SS16 outright and ending the final stage with a very battered Ford.
Works Ford driver Khalid Al Qassimi had been set for seventh, potentially a career-best, until power steering problems struck on Saturday. He was then further delayed by a trip off the road and subsequent brake issues today.
A superb three-way Production fight between Patrick Flodin, Patrik Sandell and Nasser Al-Attiyah became a head-to-head between the latter pair when differential problems slowed Flodin on Saturday. Sandell looked like he had the pace to take a third win of the season, but Al-Attiyah mounted a superb charge on the final loop and stole victory by just 1.5s.
Behind them, Pirelli Star Driver Jarkko Nikara - who was not registered for Production points this time - stunned by shrugging off a string of mechanical dramas to close on Sandell and Al-Attiyah, having been an amazing seventh fastest overall on SS13.
Martin Prokop took an outstanding Junior win, battling back from electrical problems and penalties on Friday, and an impact with a tree on Saturday, to beat Michal Kosciuszko to victory. Alessandro Bettega also led for a while until a Saturday crash. Leading finishers:
Pos Driver Car Time
1. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford 4h00m55.7s
2. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 29.4s
3. Sebastien Loeb Citroen + 1m43.7s
4. Petter Solberg Citroen + 1m57.6s
5. Evgeny Novikov Citroen + 5m11.8s
6. Matthew Wilson Ford + 7m29.3s
7. Mads Ostberg Subaru + 13m20.6s
8. Henning Solberg Ford + 13m21.2s
9. Conrad Rautenbach Citroen + 19m31.1s
10. Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru + 19m43.7s
www.autsport.com Loeb and Elena given two minute penalty
Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have been relegated from third to fourth place on Rally d’Italia - Sardegna following a post rally decision from event Stewards to penalise Seb’s co-driver for unfastening his safety belt during Saturday’s competition.
The Stewards were informed by the FIA safety delegate that on SS11 Elena had unfastened his belts to prepare for a tyre change before his car had come to a complete stop.
The Stewards noted that Loeb was slowing down when Elena unfastened his belts, and this was a minor offence compared to driving the stage at competitive speed without them.
In the circumstances the Stewards decided to apply a time penalty of two minutes on the Citroen crew.
The penalty meant Loeb and Petter Solberg swapped places on the final leaderboard. It made no difference to the points allocated in the manufacturers' competition. Al-Attiyah wins P-WRC by 1.5 seconds in last stage charge in Sardinia
In one of the most exciting ends to a round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship, Nasser Al-Attiyah
(QAT, Subaru) came from behind on the final stage to win the Rally d’Italia Sardegna by just 1.5 seconds. Co-driven by Italy’s Giovanni Bernacchini, Al-Attiyah overcame illness and low energy levels to find incredible speed in the closing stages, as he took the smallest of victories in his Barwa Rally Team Impreza.
Three different manufacturers – Subaru, Skoda and Mitsubishi – finished in the top three in Sardinia, and the top three
drivers in the P-WRC standings are now separated by just three points, with three rounds remaining. Al-Attiyah has a two point lead over Armindo Araújo, with Patrik Sandell a further one point behind in third.
This was a fiercely contested rally by any standards, and the P-WRC lead changed no fewer than eight times in the first nine stages.
As five times FIA Middle East Rally Champion, Al-Attiyah is well acclimatised to maintaining top rally speed and
concentration in hot whether, and he put himself in contention for P-WRC victory with a cool and professional drive on a very hot day one in Sardinia – despite feeling unwell. A softer set-up on his Subaru improved traction on the second loop of stages, allowing the Rally Argentina P-WRC winner to lead twice on day one (after setting fastest time on SS1 and again after fastest times on SS4 and 5) and he completed the opening day just six seconds off the lead. He continued to make adjustments to the set-up of his Impreza during day two, as a close and exciting two-way battle for victory unfolded between himself an Sandell. Al-Attiyah set another fastest time on SS10, despite bending the steering and having to make repairs on the road section after the stage, and he finished day two 23.5 second behind Sandell. Al-Attiyah could have settled for second place and eight points on day three, but he decided to fight for victory and the maximum 10 points – and immediately closed the gap to 8.6 seconds on the final day’s opening stage. Sandell responded, but a breathtaking push over the last two stages saw Al-Attiyah score one of the most exciting wins in P-WRC history.
Patrik Sandell (S, Skoda) stopped using the handbrake after just 2kms of SS1, when he feared aggressive driving might turn the strange noise coming from the rear of the car into a more serious mechanical problem. It was a wise move, for the 27-year old driver from Östersund was able to maintain his challenge for the lead, despite a spin and stall on the day’s final stage. Led by team boss and former works VW rally driver Raimund Baumschlager, Sandell made some good set-up changes in preparation for day two, and he took the lead of P-WRC with fastest time on the day’s opening stage. He led for most of the day and by the end his advantage was the biggest it had been all rally – albeit just 23.5 seconds. Sandell pushed hard on day three and walked up to the finish line of SS17 to see Al-Attiyah complete the final stage 5.5 seconds faster than him to win by just 1.5 seconds. In a great show of sportsmanship, the two drivers embraced and congratulated each other on what had been a fantastic duel.
After his first P-WRC victory of his career in Portugal, Armindo Araújo (P, Mitsubishi) arrived in Sardinia leading the
series and confident of challenging for another European rally win. Despite a misfire on day one, he ended the day just 16.2 seconds off the lead, and a stunning time on SS8 – completing the 22km Fiorentini test exactly one second per kilometre faster than anyone else – saw him move to the top of the leaderboard. His lead was brief, for on the next stage the rear right suspension arm came loose and he lost almost a minute nursing his Lancer to the end, dropping to third and leaving the fight for P-WRC honours between Sandell and Al-Attiyah. The rear left suspension arm failed on SS10 (a very rough stage, immediately after service), forcing him to reduce speed over day’s two final pair of stages to prevent further damage. Unable to challenge the top two, and with a big gap to fourth, Araújo took it carefully through day three to finish third.
Patrik Flodin (S, Subaru) started carefully and increased his pace to lead at the end of day one – albeit just 0.7 seconds ahead of Sandell. A broken driveshaft, 2kms into the opening stage of day two, saw the 24-year old driver from Ilsbo lose over three minutes over the morning’s loop of three stages, dropping him to fifth and out on contention for P-WRC victory. He replaced the gearbox and made set-up changes in service, which allowed him to fly through the afternoon stages and set fastest time on SS12 – a faster, smoother and more flowing stage, which he really enjoyed. Then on the road section to SS14 a problem with the fuel pump wiring forced Flodin to stop and extinguish a small fire. He thought he’d fixed the cause, but towards the end of SS14 the wires caught fire again and he had to stop in the next road section to make more running repairs. He eventually got his Impreza to service, albeit nine minutes late, for which he received 90 seconds of penalties. With four minutes between him and the car immediately ahead and behind him, Flodin cruised through the final day to finish fourth.
Eyvind Brynildsen’s (N, Mitsubishi) speed and split times were good, but as outside temperatures soared to over 30ºC the fuel in his Lancer’s tank was getting so hot it was causing the fuel pump to stop working. The car finally stopped near the end of day one’s last stage (SS6), and the 21-year old driver from Moss restarted day two on a charge – moving up from ninth to sixth in four stages, despite hitting a stone 10kms into SS9 and bending the rear right suspension arm. Despite a loss of engine power when the air temperature increased each afternoon, he eventually came home fifth.
Frédéric Sauvan’s (F, Mitsubishi) had a quiet start to Rally d’Italia Sardegna – quite literally, as his intercom didn’t work on the opening loop of three stages. The reigning French Group N Tarmac Rally Champion was sixth when a heavy landing on SS9 broke his Lancer’s radiator, forcing him out for the day. Sauvan started day three eighth, and had his sights set on Gianluca Linari, who was 1min 05.9secs ahead. A brilliant drive saw him overhaul his rival and he eventually finished a fine sixth.
Gianluca Linari (I, Subaru) only took delivery of his new Impreza 10 days before the start of the event, and with the
aim of getting acquainted by completing all the stages, a solid trouble-free run saw the professional architect reach the finish in seventh position - just 0.6 seconds ahead of Gabor Mayer.
Gabor Mayer (H, Subaru) was enjoying a good run in eighth when halfway through SS8 he slid a little too sideways, hit a bank and bent the steering arm. On the next stage he hit a rock and bent the rear left suspension arm, so was pleased to reach the midday service. Mayer hit another bank on SS11 and then a big hole on SS12, but survived with only bodywork damage to complete day two in seventh place. Sauvan and Linari both got ahead of him on day three, as Mayer eventually came home in eighth to score the final P-WRC point. Having won Group N on last year’s Rallye Deutschland, Hermann Gassner Jr. (I, Subaru) was aiming for a good finish on this, his fifth WRC start. The 20-year old, who is currently second in the German Rally Championship, started well, but crashed into a tree on SS5 and damaged the radiator, forcing him out for the day. Day two wasn’t much better, as water got into the engine after a watersplash on the road section between SS8-9, forcing him out again. He restarted day three and after a good run finished the final stage in ninth, but stopped on the road section to the finish ramp with reported fuel problems.
Bernardo Sousa (P, Abarth) had a good run through day one, finishing fifth – albeit 1min 23secs behind the top four. A big vibration on SS9 gave cause for concern and the 22-year old had to struggle through all of the afternoon’s loop of stages in front-wheel drive when his Grande Punto S2000 suffered transmission problems. A broken gearbox support on SS14 reduced Sousa’s speed on day three, and he was heading for a fifth place finish when his car died a few kilometres before the end of the final stage and refused to restart.
Martin Semerád (CZ, Mitsubishi) was looking forward to a good result, but fuel problems forced him to stop on SS2. He restarted on day two, only for engine problems to prevent him reaching the end of SS12. Unfortunately, Semerád was not able to start day three and spent his 19th birthday watching the rally instead of competing in it.
Fellow Pirelli Star Driver Mark Tapper (NZ, Mitsubishi) only got one stage further than Semerád when fuel problems
brought his day’s rallying to a premature end on SS3. He restarted the following day, but only got as far as 9kms into SS8 before he left the road and hit a tree – forcing him out of the event.
Having missed Portugal and Argentina with a hand injury, Egoi Eder Valdés López’s (E, Subaru) return to competition
was ruined when a turbo sensor problem delayed his Impreza on SS1. Having lost two minutes on the opening stage, he then collected 25 minutes of penalties when he skipped the day’s remaining five tests. Egoi restarted day two, but missed most of it after a heavy landing on SS8 broke the Impreza’s radiator and damaged the car so much he was unable to start day three.
Reigning Italian Gravel Rally Champion Simone Campedelli (I, Mitsubishi) was looking forward to a good run on his
home round of the WRC, but disaster intervened on the road section to SS1 when the 22-year old’s car was damaged in a collision, caused by another car failing to give way. He completed the opening stage (finishing fifth, just 2.3 seconds behind the leader), but he wasn’t allowed to continue when safety checks found that the roll cage had been damaged.
Andis Neiksans (LV, Mitsubishi) was excluded before the start following an incident on the recce, which resulted in the local police keeping hold of his driving licence. DRIVER QUOTES
1st – Nasser Al-Attiyah, Subaru Impreza:
“What a fantastic battle! I'm so happy to win here, I have won many rallies but this one is special because it's the first
time for me in Sardinia and also this is the home country of my co-driver Giovanni. I have to thank my team and my codriver for the fantastic job they have done during the weekend. I have been feeling really unwell, but we have pushed hard – especially on the final two stages – and come away with the win. Having won last time out in Argentina, the win here is very good for our championship.”
2nd – Patrik Sandell, Skoda Fabia S2000:
“It was an incredible rally and an incredible last stage. I was flat-out all the way and I could not have driven faster on
the final stage. It is quite frustrating to lose like this, but I have no regrets because we tried our best and fought until
the very end. Many congratulations to Nasser on winning here, but we are only three points behind him in the
championship and there is everything to play for.”
3rd – Armindo Araújo, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX:
“I am pleased with our performance, but our suspension arm problems on day two cost us a lot of time and after that
we could not challenge for victory. On the final day we just tried to survive and waited for something to happen to the
guys in front. Nothing happened, but we score six points – that’s good! Now I am already thinking about Greece where it will be a big battle between Nasser, myself and Patrik. I'm really looking forward to that.” SS12: Ford drivers in control at the end of day two
BP Ford Abu Dhabi Team drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen remain on course for a one-two finish on Rally d’Italia tomorrow, after holding their lead positions throughout today’s competition and watching the challenge of their main rival fall away.
The anticipated threat to the Ford drivers from Sebastien Loeb came to an end on the day’s penultimate stage, when the Frenchman had to stop to change a tyre and dropped back by one minute.
The battle between the Ford drivers looks set to be a classic, with each wanting to take victory. Latvala will carry a 9.9sec advantage over his team-mate into Sunday’s short final day, but will have to cope with the disadvantage of running as first car through the five loose gravel stages.
Earlier today Jari said he thought a 25 second lead was enough to counteract the day three road cleaning effect. He almost had that going into the final stage, but gave away nearly 10 sec to Hirvonen. “On the last stage my tyres were finished,” he said. “It won’t be easy tomorrow because I expect Mikko will push and I’ve lost a little bit too much today. Overall though it’s been a good day. We had a really, really tough battle in SS11 and I made a little mistake when I spun on a junction. But that’s the only mistake I’ve made.”
With the opportunity to pull back a few points in his title battle with Loeb, Hirvonen said he was after a maximum ten points tomorrow. “I definitely want a win, not a second place,” he said. “We have an okay starting position so hopefully we can fight.”
Petter Solberg ended Saturday’s competition third overall in his 2006 spec Citroen Xsara, 1min 02sec behind Hirvonen. But if the Norwegian is to hold the position to the end he’ll have to keep Sebastien Loeb behind. And with the gap between them just 2.2sec, Petter isn’t counting his chickens. “It’s been a good day for me, but Sebastien will be on a big attack now so it will be difficult,” he acknowledged.
Loeb meanwhile seemed philosophical about his rare case of bad luck on SS11 - an incident which is all but certain to end his record-breaking run of six WRC wins. “Now I’ll try to catch third, it’s the only thing I can do,” he said at the end of SS12. “This rally has been a difficult one from the start. It hasn’t gone as we wanted it to and we had some bad luck. Our tactics yesterday were good, but with the puncture today this is all we can do.”
After a solid day in his C4 WRC, Citroen Junior Team driver Evgeny Novikov rounded off the top five places, 1min 31sec behind Loeb.
After an incident packed afternoon, the last stage of the day brought one final WRC casualty. Adapta Subaru Mads Ostberg retired his car 1.5km before the finish line.
www.WRC.com
Click Here for Live Times and News! SS3: Latvala leads at Friday’s mid-point
Ford Focus RS WRC driver Jari-Matti Latvala holds the lead of Rally d’Italia - Sardegna at the halfway point of today’s competition.
The Finn set the fastest time through the 27.81km Crastazza stage to stretch his overall lead to 14.6 seconds. As he began the journey back to Olbia for a 30-minute service, the Finn said things had improved throughout the morning.
“Our times have been getting a little bit better, so it’s looking quite good now,” he said. “I’m not completely happy with the set-up yet, so we’ll be having a look at that when we get back to service.”
Citroen C4 WRC driver Sebastien Loeb upped his pace on SS3 to set the second quickest time - his best performance of the rally so far - and move ahead of Mikko Hirvonen into second overall. “I pushed really hard in there,” admitted Sebastien. “It’s still slippery but the car is good and I have a good feeling so it’s okay. It’s going okay for the moment. I can’t really do anything else.”
Hirvonen returned to Olbia 3.7sec adrift of Loeb, but was grateful to have got out of SS3 unscathed. “It went okay but we had quite a big slide and we were lucky not to hit anything,” he said.
An upbeat Petter Solberg holds fourth place and has plans to improve his 2006-spec car before the afternoon repeat loop. “Apart from the overheating on the first stage it’s been a great morning but I have to do something more,” he said. “I’m going to make a few tweaks to the chassis in service. I know what I need to do. I’m pleased with the mechanical diffs - they are working a little bit better than the previous ones.”
Citroen Junior team driver Sebastien Ogier rounds off the top five places after a clean run through the morning loop in his C4 WRC.
Down in ninth place as a result of his earlier time penalty, Dani Sordo dropped another 30 seconds on SS3 because of front suspension damage. “We hit a big rock in the middle of the road, but we can carry on - it’s okay,” he said.
www.WRC.com Markko Martin returns to Ford to help with testing
The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team has drafted in ex factory team driver Markko Martin to help get the most out of the Focus RS WRC on this week’s Rally d’Italia - Sardegna.
Martin, from Estonia, won five World Championship rallies with Ford when he drove for the team between 2002 and 2004.
After retiring from full time competition in 2005 following an accident on Wales Rally GB that claimed the life of his co-driver Michael Park, Martin’s most recent WRC role was as a test driver with the Subaru team in 2008.
Last week, however, he was back in a Ford, as he joined his old team at its pre-event test in Sardinia, driving a Focus RS WRC on Thursday and Friday before handing over to Jari-Matti Latvala and Mikko Hirvonen who drove until Sunday.
"To ensure the team is extracting every possible gramme of efficiency from the Focus RS WRC, we invited Markko to work with Mikko and Jari-Matti on this test," said team director Malcolm Wilson. "We benefited from Markko's testing expertise when he drove for Ford and adding his skills to that of Mikko and Jari-Matti can only benefit our preparations for this event."
For the team’s lead driver Mikko Hirvonen Sardinia is a crucial event. Trailing Championship leader Sebastien Loeb by 20 points, the Finn, who has finished runner-up for the past three seasons, needs a good result to keep his title dreams alive.
According to Hirvonen, some good weather would be a good start. “If it’s dry then start order will be important,” he explained. “The surface will be covered with slippery loose gravel and the early starters will clean that away to the benefit of those behind. I will be third to start on Friday which I think will be a very good position. I wouldn't like to be first in the order on Saturday. This could be a rally where it is best to attack from behind as the weekend goes on," he added.
Hirvonen’s team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala was third in Sardinia last year and led a world rally for the first time there in 2007. This will be the Finn’s fifth start in Sardinia and the 24-year-old is feeling confident after a solid performance on the most recent round in Argentina. "As in Argentina, I will start with the aim of finishing third or fourth. I was happy with my driving there and hope to repeat that performance in Italy,” he explained.
"Along with Rally Finland and Rally GB, this is one of my favourite rallies. It's similar to the last European rally we tackled in Portugal, with narrow and fast roads, but without the crests we experienced there. The roads are hard and compact, with a sandy surface on top. Sandy roads normally cut up during the second pass but because the base is compact, they don't become so rough here. Every year the roads become better, so it's clear the organisers repair them well after each rally," he added.
Abu Dhabi's Khalid Al Qassimi makes his second Sardinia start in another Focus RS WRC, partnered by Michael Orr. The pair finished 16th last year. Mads Ostberg moves his girlfriend in!
Adapta World Rally Team driver Mads Ostberg will be co-driven by his girlfriend Veronica Engan on Rally D’Italia - Sardegna, after splitting from his co-driver of three years, Ole Kristian Unnerud.
The team said Unnerud’s decision to stand down was influenced mainly by family commitments - although a co-driving error which cost the pair a comfortable victory on this month’s Norwegian Championship Sorland Rally is likely to have been a factor.
A miscalculation early in the event meant Ostberg checked in early to a time control and was given a five minute penalty. Despite winning every stage, and finishing four minutes clear of the competition, the penalty dropped him to third and handed victory to his arch rival Andreas Mikkelsen.
Veronica, 24, is an experienced co-driver in the Norwegian Championship and has co-driven P-WRC competitor Eyvind Brynildsen on four WRC rallies. But despite her experience team boss (and Mads’ father) Morten Ostberg says her appointment is only temporary.
“We are happy to be in this family situation” said Morten. “She has the qualities to be a permanent solution, but due to their relationship we all regard that as not such a good idea. But it is very inspiring for all of us to have her in this role for Sardinia. She allows us to do a careful search for a permanent solution, and secure the possibilities to perform well in this rally, that Mads really likes,” he added.
Last week Veronica and Mads had a successful test in a 2004 specification Impreza and in Sardinia today the pair drove the 2008 spec car they will use this weekend.
“I think it is a great opportunity for me,” said Veronica. “It has been my ambition to do co-driving on this level, I am confident that I can do it, and it is very special to debut in WRC with my boyfriend as driver.”
After his sixth place on Rally Portugal, Mads is hoping some fresh developments to his car will give him the chance of another good result this week. “I feel we are very close now to make the most of the good potential this car obviously has,” he said. “I am really comfortable with everything as we head to Rally Sardinia, and we are both very much looking forward to starting.” Solberg gets his upgrades
Norwegian Petter Solberg has finally got his hands on a set of mechanical upgrades he hopes will boost the competitiveness of his Xsara WRC.
Since the last rally in Argentina, Petter’s privately owned Xsara - which is run in co-operation with Citroen Sport - has been completely stripped and rebuilt.
The car’s bodyshell - originally made in 2001 - has been swapped for a newer version and the car has been reassembled to a 2006 specification, giving it a bigger intercooler, revised engine cooling ducts and the mechanical front and rear differentials Solberg has been trying to get hold of since February.
Petter said he hopes the revised car will be better suited to the tough and hot conditions in Sardinia - an event he won with Subaru in 2004. Solberg first drove his overhauled car at a test in Sardinia on Monday.
“I am very pleased with the cooperation with Citroen,” said Solberg. “And I think this upgrade gives us a more competitive car. We will do this rally now, and then see how it goes before we decide anything regarding the future. This season has been unbelievable, and together with my fantastic team I think we have only seen the start of it!” The route of the 2009 Rally d’Italia Sardegna with Google – Earth
A new feature of the 2009 edition of Rally d’Italia Sardegna is the introduction in the Spectators’ guide of the aerial maps of the route. To access the maps just download the Google Earth application, open the home page of the www.rallyitaliasardegna.com website and click on the Spectators’ Menu the link Spectators’ Guide – Aerial Maps.
A preview which will bring spectators and rally people directly on Sardinia’s special stages.
The Google Maps technology will provide a valuable support to spectators to choose and identify the areas where to watch the Rally.The Special Stage start, finish and spectators’ areas described in the guide will be marked on the maps.
Thanks to the Google Maps technology, it will be possible to have an aerial run over the SS, a sort of birds’ eye view which will enable fans to realise the main attractions on the rally route. Click here for Aerial Maps Event Preview The Italian round of the WRC was previously the Rallye San Remo, based on the twisty asphalt roads around the Italian Riviera resort. But in 2004 the event switched from asphalt to gravel and from the mainland to the island of Sardinia where it's remained ever since.
The Service Park and administrative hub of the rally are located in the port of Olbia, with the event's stages mostly located in the hilly countryside south west of the city.
The regions of Olbia-Tempio, Nuoro, Sassari and Goceano provide a stunning landscape for the opening two days of the rally; while on the third day competitors also head north to the opulent Costa Smerelda region, created by the Aga Khan in the 1960's.
The stages themselves are made of fine and sandy gravel and are surprising fast, given their tight, narrow nature. This can provide a real challenge for the drivers as they balance their desire to push with the need to avoid the numerous stones and rocks that litter the roadside. New for 2009
Saturday's competition features two new stages, located in the Goceano area in the middle of the island. 'Sa Line' follows the route of an old railway line while 'Fiorentini' is run on forest roads. This year's ceremonial start will be held on the waterfront in Olbia while the finish podium remains in Porto Cervo. Rally d'Italia Sardegna is one of four events this year eligible for the WRC, P-WRC and J-WRC competitions. Event Website WRC.com |
