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| 2009 Rally of Ireland : WRC Round 1 of 12 : 30th January - 1st February In this issue: 1. Event Preview 3. Other News 4. Team by Team Preview 5. Event statistics 6. Event Schedule 7. Championship Points 1. Event Preview Rally Ireland is one of just two all-asphalt events in the 12-round series and returns for its second appearance after a year's absence. However, the term 'asphalt' is a misnomer for this cross-border event which is based in Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland, but also ventures into Northern Ireland. The route is a mix of flowing mountain roads and tight, twisty farm lanes. The latter are bumpy and narrow - often little more than the width of a car - with many surface changes. They are used by farmers on a daily basis and will be dirty. With rain highly likely in late January, they could quickly turn muddy and become treacherously slippery, so much so that a more gravel-based car set-up is likely to work better than a traditional asphalt specification. Ice and snow cannot be ruled out either. After the withdrawal of the Suzuki and Subaru factory teams at the end of last year, the entry list is looking a little week. However the adition of Chris Atkinson and Sebastien Ogier in the Citroen Junior Team and Urmo Aava in the Stobart Ford squad should provide some much needed interest. 3. Other News " The rally season got off to a fantastic start on last weekend's IRC Rallye Monte Carlo. Please click here to see our Monte event index to see all the news and photos from the event. 4. Team by Team Preview BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team's young chargers plan to use the lessons learned last season to ignite their challenge in the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship which begins in Ireland next week (29 January - 1 February). Finns Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala raised their experience levels enormously as they turned what was expected to be a transitional year for Ford in 2008 into a concerted title bid in both the drivers' and manufacturers' series. Now 28-year-old Hirvonen and 23-year-old Latvala, accompanied by co-drivers Jarmo Lehtinen and Miikka Anttila respectively, begin the 2009 campaign on Rally Ireland confident of stepping up their performance even further. Continuity is a key strategy of the team this season and the pairings will again have the record-breaking Ford Focus RS World Rally Car at their disposal. The car won four times in 2008 and has 36 WRC victories to its credit since the original model debuted in 1999. #3 : Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "Rally Ireland was difficult in 2007, but this year I feel it's going to be even harder. I think we'll experience ice in places and the roads are so incredibly narrow and fast. Cars cut the corners and pull mud onto the road so it can be dirty and slippery. It's going to be an interesting and challenging event to start the year. We have a two-day test before the rally so that should give us confidence going into the start. I want to be on the podium, but if there's any chance at all, I want to fight for the win." #4 : Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila: "Loose surface rallies are my preference, but I've said to myself that if I can finish in the top three on asphalt this year, that would be perfect. It will be a very tricky rally because the conditions will be so unpredictable and a neat, tidy and mistake-free drive will be rewarded. Consistency is an area in which I want to improve in 2009. I want to eliminate the kind of ups and downs that I experienced at times last season. This time one year ago I was very nervous ahead of my debut in the Ford team. I went through so many things last year, gaining experience and learning about the mental side of the WRC, that I feel relaxed and confident for the new season. I have two targets - to help Ford regain the manufacturers' title and to fight for the drivers' title. It's not a target to win the drivers' title - that's different - but I want to be able to challenge for it," #9 : Khalid Al Qassimi/Michael Orr: "I'm sure Ireland will be wet and the asphalt is bound to be muddy and slippery. It won't be easy for me, especially after driving in Qatar, but I'll rely on my pace notes, start steadily and aim to improve throughout the weekend. I've learned a lot in the past 18 months - now is the time to realise my potential. This season my goals are to keep improving and hopefully I'll be in a position to post top 10 finishes and get in the drivers' points." Citroen Total World Rally Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 As in previous years, the C4 WRCs officially representing the colours of the Citroën Total World Rally Team will be in the hands of five-time World Champions Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and their team-mates Dani Sordo/Marc Marti. The Rally Ireland, which first counted towards the WRC in 2007, not only returns to the calendar this year but also has the privilege of kicking off the 2009 championship. The route extends from the mountains of Sligo to the lakes of Fermanagh, with stages in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. The region's fast yet narrow are famed for being very bumpy, but the terrain clearly suits the Citroën C4 WRC, since Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo came first and second on the 2007 event. #1 : Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "The first time we came here, the conditions were rather delicate, but everything went well for us and the result proved decisive in our bid to win a fourth world title. This year's championship kicks off with four rounds that weren't on last year's calendar, but they are not new territory because we did them all in 2007. And our objective hasn't changed either: after notching up five consecutive world titles, we are obviously aiming for a sixth crown! It's going to be an interesting season and I expect it to be very close. Mikko Hirvonen is improving all the time, while Jari-Matti Latvala has really come on, too. There are the other C4 WRC drivers as well, of course, startingwith my own team-mate, Dani, and also Chris Atkinson." #2 : Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: "As in previous years, the season begins on asphalt and that's a good thing. I like the Irish stages, but the weather promises to make this year's event difficult. OK, we will be able to choose between two types of tyre, but the Sotto Zero will only come into its own if it really snows. I have prepared hard for this rally, with a daily fitness training programme, plus some very fruitful testing. To begin with, I will be out to score as many Manufacturers' points as possible for Citroën. I finished third in last year's Drivers' standings and I would like to do at least as well this time round. And why not one step higher? I would also like to score my first WRC win this year." Stobart Ford World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 The Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team will look to draw on experience as the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship season gets underway at Rally Ireland next weekend. It will be the first time the championship has started outside of Monaco since 1996, but the Cumbrian team's previous outings at the event should see the ambitious outfit firmly in contention for a strong result. Stobart achieved its first-ever tarmac podium in Ireland, as Jari-Matti Latvala secured third place when the event made its debut on the WRC calendar in 2007. The M-Sport-run squad will be hoping its current line-up of crews can push for podium positions in a similar fashion, having also already tasted success there in the past. #5 : Urmo Aava/Kuldar Sikk: "When I did the recce in 2007 I found the most difficult part of the stage to understand was the grip. The tarmac is changing all the time and it is especially bad on the sections where there is grass in the middle of the road. For sure this will be a very difficult rally, maybe even more so than Monte Carlo, and in some places it's like Finland but only on tarmac - with very high speed sections over crests. The plan is to find a good rhythm but it's most important to get the car to the finish. This is not a rally we want to attack in. This year is an extremely good chance for me in the Stobart team. We have seen some difficult times lately with teams pulling out, so I know how lucky I am to be with a strong team and will definitely make the most of this opportunity." #6 : Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I don't have a lot of experience on asphalt but when I competed on this rally in 2007 I was running in the top six on the first day, which was very good. It's not a true tarmac rally because there is so much gravel and mud dragged across the road and I cope with these conditions better. The most difficult things about the stages are the high-speed sections and the unpredictable bumps, and it's hard to get a good feeling with the car. We found a good setting on some tarmac events last year and with a test planned for Monday I'm sure we'll start the rally with more confidence than before. I'd really like to start the year off well, and a finish inside the top six would be a good boost ahead of my home event in Norway two weeks later." #16: Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin: "This is obviously a special event for me having won it in the past and now it's my 50th WRC start so hopefully it will be kind to me. The time of year will certainly make the conditions very difficult and in 2007 there was a lot of mud dragged across the road as drivers cut corners over the grass. As the first event of the year, it would be good to start off with a decent result and our pre-event test on Monday will certainly help with that. It will be a good boost to my confidence to get some miles in the test rather than going straight into the shakedown on Thursday morning." Citroen Junior Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 The Citroen Junior Team will make its competition debut on the opening round of the 2009 FIA World Rally Championship, the Rally Ireland. Three Citroen C4 WRCs will be entrusted to Chris Atkinson/Stéphane Prevot, Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia. Having claimed a fourth manufacturers' title last year, Citroen has now entered a second team in this category for the 2009 season. Complementing the Citroen-Total World Rally Team, the Citroen Junior Team will reinforce the marque's presence on the championship by providing a cradle for young talent. #7 : Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot: "The Citroen C4 WRC is different to the other cars that I have driven before. The more I attack the better it seems to work." The Australian is now looking forward to a welcoming but challenging event. "There's a fantastic atmosphere with a huge crowd. The event itself is really tricky. The roads are bumpy and often very dirty. At this time of year, we might even find some ice. We're going to start the event using settings that the team has already established from the past. Then, when it comes to the start of the rally, we will see how we are getting on. I've got no other aim other than just to score some points for the Citroen Junior Team and demonstrate our competitiveness compared to the other crews." #8 : Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt: "That first season with Citroen Sport Technologies allowed me to gain a lot of experience. I now understand the C4 WRC and its behaviour a lot better. This year, I'll be able to push much harder in the places that I know well. Rally Ireland is certainly one of the most difficult events of the whole championship though. My primary objective will be to get to the finish with the aim of scoring points. I was able to see once more just how difficult the roads in Ireland were when I took part in national rally there in January, driving a Citroen Xsara WRC. The conditions were particularly difficult and I'm sure that will be the case again on the Rally Ireland next week. The event also allowed me to get up to speed with my new co-driver, Daniel Barritt. So everything went really well." #11: Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia: "I took part in the Ulster Rally last year with a Citroen C2-R2 MAX. It was my first experience of Irish roads, even though the profile of the World Rally Championship event there looks somewhat different. I think this is going to be a very complex rally, with some ice and frost expected at this time of year. The roads are narrow and bumpy, plus they get dirty very quickly. By starting the first day around 10th on the road, we are sure to find some particularly delicate conditions. My key objective is to finish. I don't have any real pressure in terms of results: I just need to keep making progress and learning as the event goes on." 5. Event Statistics " Rally Ireland (January 29-February 1), round 1 of 12 " Surface: dry and damp asphalt, a possibility of ice and/or snow " Host town: Sligo Practical information: Rally HQ is based at the Clarion Hotel in Sligo, while the service park uses Technical matters: The engines used in Ireland will be sealed and will go on to contest the Tyres: Two types of tyre may be used: the Pirelli PZero (soft) and the SottoZero (non-studded). Recce: Tuesday January 27 and Wednesday January 28 (8.00am to 7.00pm). Two runs authorised Shakedown: Thursday January 29 (8.00am to 12.00 noon). Uses a 2.87km stage near Lisduff " Press conference: Thursday January 29 (1.30pm), Media Centre. " Start ceremony: Thursday January 29 (from 7.30pm), Enniskillen. 6. Event Schedule Thursday 29 January: Ceremonial start Start Enniskillen Castle, Enniskillen 19.30 Friday 30 January: Day 1 Sligo - Sligo Start Sligo 07.25 SS1 Glenboy 1 22.25km 08.13 SS2 Cavan 1 15.09km 09.01 SS3 Aughnasheelan 1 25.19km 09.42 Serv A Sligo (30 mins) 11.44 SS4 Glenboy 2 22.25km 13.02 SS5 Cavan 2 15.09km 13.50 SS6 Aughnasheelan 2 25.19km 14.31 Serv B Sligo (30 mins) 16.36 SS7 Murley 24.70km 18.54 SS8 Fardross 14.77km 19.39 Serv C Sligo (45 mins) 21.39 Finish Sligo 22.24 Total 164.53km Saturday 31 January: Day 2 Sligo - Sligo Serv D Sligo (15 mins) 06.25 SS9 Sloughan Glen 1 27.76km 08.13 SS10 Ballinamallard 1 25.46km 09.06 SS11 Tempo 1 13.46km 09.49 Serv E Sligo (30 mins) 11.54 SS12 Sloughan Glen 2 27.76km 13.57 SS13 Ballinamallard 2 25.46km 14.50 SS14 Tempo 2 13.46km 15.33 Serv F Sligo (45 mins) 17.18 Finish Sligo 18.03 Total 133.36km Sunday 1 February: Day 3 Sligo - Sligo Serv G Sligo (15 mins) 07.40 SS15 Geevagh 11.48km 08.35 SS16 Arigna 27.90km 09.00 SS17 Lough Gill 13.51km 09.51 Serv H Sligo (30 mins) 10.41 SS18 Donegal Bay 14.47km 12.09 SS19 Donegal Town 1.50km 13.10 Serv I Sligo (10 mins) 14.33 Finish Clarion Hotel, Sligo 15.10 Total 68.86km Rally total 366.75km 7. Championship Points Full standings http://www.rallye-info.com/points.asp |