BENCOB Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Event Bulletin RallyRACC Catalunya preview 26 September 2008 http://www.swrt.com/img_gallery/352378676.jpg Solberg and Atkinson joined by Tirabassi for round 12 of the WRC On the first weekend of October the Subaru World Rally Team will travel to Spain with three works entries as the World Rally Championship returns to tarmac. RallyRACC Catalunya Costa Daurada is the penultimate tarmac event of the year and the first half of a back-to-back asphalt double-header on which SWRT will be running a trio of Impreza WRC2008s for the first time. Rally Catalunya is often said to be the closest the WRC gets to a circuit race, owing to its smooth and flowing asphalt surface. Most of the rally route has been resurfaced over the years making the roads clean and grippy, in contrast to the dirty asphalt of the last sealed surface event in Germany in mid-August. “There are lots of long, long corners in Spain on very smooth tarmac so grip is good and speeds are generally quite high” said Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director. “This means the lateral loads on the cars and tyres are also very high. The rally is all about rhythm, and very early on it will be obvious if anyone hasn’t got settled. “We are in the Tarragona region so we don’t go up into the hills where the rally used to be, which means that pretty much all the route is fast to medium-fast. We have a mixture of hard and soft compound Pirelli tyres, which will have to be strategically used to account for the sudden rain showers that can change everything. With our focus on gravel development, we haven’t been able to do a pre-event test here so there’ll be a bit to learn.” This sentiment is shared by the team’s technical director, David Lapworth, who is eagerly anticipating the significant step forward in development that two asphalt events in two weeks will undoubtedly facilitate. “These two tarmac rallies in two weeks will boost us massively, as we learned a great deal just from Rally Germany” he commented. “We’ll be using a combination of Markko’s base setup from his early tests and improvements we have been able to make after Germany to take another step forward on tarmac. “We are very happy with testing so far, and the conditions in which Markko did all the early tarmac testing are far more similar to the roads in Spain than those in Germany so it should suit us better. We have had limited testing here though as a result of our focus on gravel development to date, so at the same time we must be realistic about how far through our refinement process we are with the new car.” It has been one month since the last rally in New Zealand at the end of August, and Solberg and Atkinson have been making best use of that time. “I’ve been preparing myself to the maximum since New Zealand, and I hope we can build on what we had in Germany” said Petter Solberg. “I really had good fun driving there, so I definitely hope we can have even more fun in Spain. It won’t be easy, but it’s a rally I like and the route is fun to drive anyway. “Spain is a very different rally to Germany with very different roads, a lot cleaner and more flowing, but if you can drive, you can drive, so it’s not that big a change. We’re always driving flat out anyway, so you don’t do much different inside the car. It’ll be an important rally though as it’ll go a long way to deciding the result in Corsica the week after.” Chris Atkinson echoed the Norwegian’s comments: “Spain is a very different event to Germany, where we were last on tarmac. The roads are wide, smooth and high-grip, and you can carry a lot of corner speed because of this. It’s about the highest lateral load we get all season, and whilst it doesn’t really affect us because we train for it, you notice it for sure inside the car. Because it’s smooth it gets very slippery when it rains as the water doesn’t run away, but when you get a series of corners right, it’s a great feeling.” Alongside the works entries of Solberg and Atkinson, SWRT will run a third factory car for both this rally and the next round in Corsica. Impreza WRC2008 number 15 will be driven by Frenchman Brice Tirabassi, and the 2003 JWRC Champion is keen to get behind the wheel of a works Subaru for the first time. “I am very happy to be taking part in these two events with a team of this level” commented Brice Tirabassi. “I don’t have much experience of driving a WRC car, but I know both events quite well so I am looking forward to getting going. I like Spain, so I hope this means I can focus more easily on learning the team and the car. My objective in Spain is to understand the car better and find the limit, and carry all this into Corsica the week after.” The rally itself is based in Europe’s largest theme park, PortAventura, in the holiday destination of Salou, which lies 110 kilometres south-west of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast. Rally Catalunya is scheduled in the region’s spring season, and whilst generally pleasant and popular with holidaymakers and rally fans alike, the weather can be notoriously changeable. Temperatures are expected to rest between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, but rain can soon form as clouds crest the surrounding mountains of the Tarragona region and the inclement weather builds. On the smooth roads, sudden storms can easily flood the surrounding drainage systems and make grip levels very treacherous. The organisers have made several changes to the stages since last year, with the inclusion of two brand new speed tests on Saturday. A total of 18 stages, including the renowned El Montmeil and La Serra d’Almos sections from previous years, take crews through 353.62 kilometres of competition after a ceremonial start on Thursday night that, typical of the destination, is just metres from the ocean. Entries The Subaru World Rally Team has entered three Impreza WRC2008s for RallyRACC Catalunya. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills will drive number five, and team-mates Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot number six. Number 15, the third Impreza WRC2008, will be piloted by Frenchmen Brice Tirabassi and his co-driver Fabrice Gordon. Between the rallies The championship took a four week break between Rally New Zealand at the end of August and Spain at the start of October. During that time, Solberg has been training hard, including lots of karting with his family, but he has also been getting restless. “I don’t like waiting” he says, “I just want to drive”. Atkinson travelled to Australia after Rally New Zealand for a few days of PR activities and to spend time with his family, before returning to Monaco and training hard for a busy month of October. Tirabassi has also been preparing for his first works World Rally Championship drive with SWRT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 http://www.swrt.com/img_gallery/712864769.jpg Event Overview Rally Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2008 2-5 October 2008 Time Difference: GMT plus 2hrs After a month’s break in September, The World Rally Championship makes a return to asphalt for a flat-out blast through the fast and flowing mountain stages of Tarragona. Catalunya is the quickest asphalt rally of the year and also the most similar to a circuit race, characterised by wide smooth roads and sweeping corners, allowing crews to push their machines to the limits of grip in an event that demands a different driving style. The relationships between driver and co-driver are really tested as the increased corner speeds necessitate absolute confidence and accurate pace notes to commit to each corner. The quickest line is often to cut the corners, but this increases the risk of punctures and drags mud and dirt onto the road. Last year concrete barriers were used to limit the amount drivers could cut each corner, so expect the same again this time. Subaru World Rally Team wins: 1995 (Carlos Sainz), 1996 (Colin McRae) http://www.swrt.com/graphics/championship/results_es.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 Tirabassi and Gordon start their competitive debut with SWRT 02 October 2008 http://www.swrt.com/img_gallery/190357735.JPG Tirabassi and Gordon will compete on the Spanish and Corsican asphalt rallies this month Frenchman and 2003 JWRC Champion Brice Tirabassi and co-driver Fabrice Gordon have made a start to the first of two rallies they will contest with the Subaru World Rally Team. After shakedown for RallyRACC Catalunya, Brice was feeling positive about the duo's progress on their competitive debut with a works WRC team and looking forward to the first tomorrow which gets underway at 0816hrs local time tomorrow morning (Friday 3 October). "The car is very good for me, and I have a good feeling with it" he commented. "I have a big smile after this morning! I'm learning the car and the team, but this morning has been very good. We had no problems and did lots of good running, which all helps my experience in this car. This weekend I will learn as much as I can to put myself in the best position for next weekend in Corsica, where I want to push harder and go more for times." The duo successfully completed five runs at shakedown and, getting faster with every run, slashed six seconds off their stage time between their first run and their last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Driver quotes from service D (after SS9) 04 October 2008 http://www.swrt.com/img_gallery/685447450.jpg Halfway through his first rally with SWRT, Tirabassi is happy with his progress Impreza WRC2008 No. 5 Petter Solberg: “This morning we were fast in the fast sections but struggled for grip in the twisty places. The last stage this morning was so dirty as the cars in front take huge cuts in the corners. There are bollards to stop this on some corners, but there are so many corners they can’t do it on every one. On the loose stages the feeling isn’t there yet to push hard. We’re trying some different things and just doing what we can.” Impreza WRC2008 No. 6 Chris Atkinson: “The stages today are much more slippery, and we have the same feeling in the car as yesterday afternoon so we’re losing time in the loose. Sure we’ve moved up one place and are aiming for Aava, but it’s so hard to take time on tarmac and he seemed to pick up his pace on the last stage so it’ll be tough. This afternoon will be even more slippery and loose too as all the other cars will have dragged more dirt onto the roads.” Impreza WRC2008 No. 15 Brice Tirabassi: “This morning has been ok for us and the car is working ok. Stage nine was very bumpy with lots of gravel so for me it was very difficult to drive, but we were in the top ten on stage eight. I’m happy with my progress this weekend, and it feels good for my first rally in a WRC car. I feel more prepared for Corsica which is the most important thing.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW7RT Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Cool, do you happen to know of any other way to catch rally highlights besides the internet, SWRT...WRC...? The Speed channel or shall I say Nascar channel use to show coverage but I guess theres not enough demand here in oval track land to keep it apart of their schedule. Seriously, if your going to show the off-road championship (which by the way I don't mind) you can cover rallies even if its just the ones here in America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share Posted October 5, 2008 I really don't know. We don't have cable or shmable, just regular bunny-ear type American tv and satellite which my wife watches more than any of us. Some research will get results on how to get it. I'm confident it ought/should be doable but I don't think it'll be cheap. I'm thinking satellite with a frequency band which allows the user to tune in...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share Posted October 5, 2008 http://www.wrc.com/news/big/080929_sub.jpg 29/9/08 Subaru hopes for improved asphalt pace in Spain Despite heading to Rally De de Espana with a driver line-up bolstered by French ace Brice Tirabassi, the Subaru World Rally Team says a lack of asphalt testing with the Impreza WRC2008 means it still has a lot to learn on the surface. The team’s technical director, David Lapworth, said he was anticipating ‘a significant step forward in development’ on the back-to-back rallies in Spain and Corsica, but acknowledged that without a pre-event test the team would be relying on information gathered earlier in the year and during the car's first asphalt outing on Rallye Deutschland. “These two tarmac rallies in two weeks will boost us massively, as we learned a great deal just from Rally Germany” said Lapworth. “We’ll be using a combination of Markko’s base setup from his early tests and improvements we have been able to make after Germany to take another step forward on tarmac. “We are very happy with testing so far, and the conditions in which Markko did all the early tarmac testing are far more similar to the roads in Spain than those in Germany so it should suit us better. We have had limited testing here though as a result of our focus on gravel development to date, so at the same time we must be realistic about how far through our refinement process we are with the new car.” Petter Solberg said he had enjoyed his last asphalt rally in Germany and hoped to build on the fifth place he scored there. “It won’t be easy, but it’s a rally I like and the route is fun to drive,” he said. “Spain is a very different rally to Germany with very different roads, a lot cleaner and more flowing, but if you can drive, you can drive, so it’s not that big a change. It’ll be an important rally though as it’ll go a long way to deciding the result in Corsica the week after.” Chris Atkinson was sixth in Germany and said he was looking forward to the different challenge of the Spanish stages. “The roads are wide, smooth and high-grip, and you can carry a lot of corner speed because of this,” he explained. “It’s about the highest lateral load we get all season, and whilst it doesn’t really affect us because we train for it, you notice it for sure inside the car. Because it’s smooth it gets very slippery when it rains as the water doesn’t run away, but when you get a series of corners right, it’s a great feeling.” Frenchman Brice Tirabassi and his co-driver Fabrice Gordon will drive the number 15 Impreza WRC2008 in Spain and Corsica. The 2003 J-WRC champion said he was keen to get behind the wheel of a works Subaru for the first time. “I don’t have much experience of driving a WRC car, but I know both events quite well so I am looking forward to getting going,” he said. “I like Spain, so I hope this means I can focus more easily on learning the team and the car. My objective in Spain is to understand the car better and find the limit, and carry all this into Corsica the week after.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share Posted October 5, 2008 Rallye de Espana: Solberg 5th Atkinson 7th Tirabassi 10th Overall manufacturer standing: 3.http://www.wrc.com/flags/subaru.gif SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM Overall drivers standings: http://www.wrc.com/flags/AUS.gif C. ATKINSON 4th http://www.wrc.com/flags/N.gif P. SOLBERG 6th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BENCOB Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 5/10/08SS15: Petter clings on The battle for fifth between Petter Solberg and Urmo Aava got as close as it could on SS15 when Aava closed the gap between them to one-tenth of a second. As he reached Sunday’s halfway point, Solberg said he had pushed hardest through the last stage of the loop - the 4km La Serra d’Almos. “I took a little time from him on the stage before (SS14) but I took some big risks here,” he said. “I took some big cuts; I’m trying everything I can.”But despite the Norwegian’s risky approach Aava was more than two seconds quicker. “It’s great; it seems that rough and slippery stages are good for the Citroen and I can do a good job,” he said. “I think it will be very interesting when we do it again later. Let’s see.”Dani Sordo was the fastest driver, taking his first stage win of the rally and making the most of the opportunity to test his C4 WRC before next week’s second asphalt round. “I’m still watching Duval’s pace, but since the first day I’ve been able to test a few things for our Corsica set-up.” Having selected Pirelli’s soft compound PZero tyre for the morning loop Mikko Hirvonen was also gathering test data. “The first stage wasn’t good but the tyre started to work better after that - the harder one was definitely the right choice, though,” he said. “I knew the soft tyre would be okay on the short stage, but it was a test we perhaps should have done somewhere else rather than here.” Sebastien Loeb completed the morning loop without incident and returned to the mid-point service in Salou with an overall lead of 25.6sec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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