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| 2009 Rally Portugal : WRC Round 4 of 12 : 2nd - 5th April In this issue: 1. Event Preview 3. Other News 4. Team by Team Preview 5. Event Schedule 6. Championship Points 7. Subscription Information 1. Event Preview The biggest story on the agenda in Portugal is the return of Marcus Gronholm, driving a Prodrive Impreza, having originally retired at the end of the 2007 season. Ford and Citroen both have new homologations of their cars for Portugal, mostly focussing on engine improvements. The event gets underway on Thursday evening with a spectator superspecial in the Algarve stadium. 3. Other News " Maurin set for IRC programme " Francois Duval aiming for IRC events in Skoda Belgium Fabia " Peugeot 207 R3-T confirmed for IRC 2wd cup 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 begins the second quarter of its FIA World Rally Championship campaign in Portugal next week with subtle improvements to its record-breaking Focus RS World Rally Car. As the series heads to the Iberian Peninsula for Rally de Portugal (2 - 5 April), the British-based squad will introduce a revised engine for the first time in competition. The newly-homologated power plant available to drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila includes an electric water pump and a lightweight flywheel. During a comprehensive testing programme, the drivers have reported a slight improvement in outright engine performance from the upgrades. #3 : ! Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen:"They are enjoyable stages to drive and Portugal is the rally I like most in the southern Europe and Mediterranean regions. The roads will be abrasive if conditions are dry because some sections have a solid bedrock base with a sandy surface on top. You don't see many loose rocks compared to Greece and Turkey, but the hard base does make it hard for tyres." #4 : Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila: "The start to the season was tough, and the rallies in Ireland and Cyprus were probably the most difficult I will face this year. Now we start the gravel events which comprise the bulk of the championship and I'm happy about that. I've tested the new engine and while it's not always easy to feel small improvements behind the wheel, I'm sure we will see them in our times," #19 : Khalid Al Qassimi/Michael Orr: "Tackling a rally for the first time is always a difficult challenge. It t! akes time to understand the characteristics of the roads and a driver is always at a disadvantage against rivals who have previous experience. It's important to make the most of the opportunity and drive all the stages. An early retirement on either of the first two days can mean missing well over a third of the rally's distance and that's a lot of experience to miss out on," Citroen Total World Rally Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 Following its absence from the 2008 calendar, the Rally de Portugal returns to the FIA World Rally Championship this year. For Citroën Total WRT, which saw both its C4 WRCs finish on the podium here two years ago, this weekend's encounter will provide a pointer to the real potential of the different runners and riders on the loose. Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have yet to be be! aten in 2009 and will looking to build on their current run. For Dani Sordo and Marc Marti, the proximity of Spain will be an added source of motivation as they target a top-three finish. #1 : Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "The Citroën C4 WRC is competitive on all the different types of surface, as our recent successes in the rain in Ireland, on snow in Norway and on the mixed-surface Cyprus Rally show. Portugal marks the return of a more conventional format. If we are competitive here, it would suggest that we are also likely to be strong on the year's other gravel rounds." #2 : Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: "There are plenty of new stages, but I enjoy this rally which is very varied. The stages are narrow in places, and fast and wider in others. It's a concentrate of what we will find in Argentina, Greece and Sardinia later in the year." Stobart Ford World Rally Team http://ford.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=2 Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team drivers Henning Solberg and Matthew Wilson are both looking to pick up where they left off in the last round of the FIA World Rally Championship in Cyprus as they prepare for round four of the series, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Solberg and Wilson are lying fourth and sixth respectively in the driver standings after putting in outstanding performances on both asphalt and gravel in Cyprus and are looking to continue that form on the Algarve gravel where they will tackle 361.36kms of competitive stages on the 43rd running of the Rally de Portugal. #5: Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin: "It is great to be going back to Portugal as I really enjoyed it there in 2007, the stages are enjoyable but also quite challenging. Hopefully most of the stages will be quite similar to! those that we learnt two years ago and we can use that knowledge to good effect right from the start. We finished really well in Cyprus and I hope that we can start in Portugal somewhere near that pace and basically continue where we left off. If it is dry there then grip should be good but if it does rain then that can make it really difficult on some of the stages so I'm hoping that it stays dry; the consistent grip levels always help with confidence." #6 : Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "I can't wait to get started in Portugal. After the accident in Cyprus it feels like this is the first gravel rally of the year so I'm concentrating on putting in a good performance and hopefully we can challenge for a top-five result. I was encouraged by our times in Cyprus, we made some really good progress with some settings and the car felt much better on the last two days. Hopefully we can put these improvements to good use next week. I remember the roads! in Portugal being quite fast and difficult to get exactly right, but I am always up for the challenge." Citroen Junior Team http://citroen.rallye-info.com/teams.asp?sid=1 For the first time in its history, the Citroën Junior Team will face an event that is held entirely on gravel, the most common surface of the World Rally Championship. On the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt, Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt and Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia will once again be trying to get in amongst the points-scorers. The fourth round of the 2009 World Rally Championship season is a real classic. Having returned to the calendar in 2007 but taken a year off in 2008, the Rally Portugal has been the scene of some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport. The route runs through the south of the country! , not far from Faro, and this year it offers an itinerary that is almost completely brand new. The stage is set for the Citroën Junior Team crews to demonstrate all their potential. #7: Evgeny Novikov/Dale Moscatt: " I'm beginning to build up a really good feeling with the Citroën C4 WRC. It's an extremely competitive car. My goal is to gain a little more experience and reach the finish, while putting in a few good stage times. " #8: Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt: " A good result will come from putting in some good stage times. I'm going to try to steadily improve my times while making sure I get to the finish, in order to score points in both championships. " #12: Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia: " I believe we're making progress with every rally. Portugal will be our first 'normal' event. I'm aiming just to get to the f! inish there without making any mistakes, in order to concentrate completely on my driving. 5. Event Schedule Thursday 2 April: Day 1 Faro - Faro Start Faro 16.45 SS1 Estádio Algarve 1 2.21km 16.50 Finish Faro 17.00 Friday 3 April: Day 1 (continued) Faro - Faro Serv A Algarve Stadium (15 mins) 09.10 SS2 Ourique 1 23.42km 10.20 SS3 Silves 1 21.54km 11.17 SS4 Malhăo 1 22.04km 12.00 Serv B Algarve Stadium (30 mins) 13.35 SS5 Ourique 2 23.42km 15.00 SS6 Silves 2 21.54km 15.57 SS7 Malhăo 2 22.04km 16.40 Serv C Algarve Stadium (45 mins) 18.00 Finish Faro 18.45 Total ! ; 136.21km Saturday 4 April: Day 2 Faro - Faro Serv D Algarve Stadium (15 mins) 08.40 SS8 Santa Clara 1 22.61km 09.55 SS9 Almodovar 1 27.18km 10.30 SS10 Vascăo 1 22.80km 11.40 Serv E Algarve Stadium (30 mins) 13.20 SS11 Santa Clara 2 22.61km 14.50 SS12 Almodovar 2 ! ; 27.18km 15.25 SS13 Vascăo 2 22.80km 16.35 Serv F Algarve Stadium (45 mins) 18.00 Finish Faro 18.45 Total 145.18km Sunday 5 April: Day 3 Faro - Faro Serv G Algarve Stadium (15 mins) 06.50 SS14 Loulé 1 22.65km 07.50 SS15 S. Brás Alportel 1 16.23km 08.45 Serv H&nbs! p; Algarve Stadium (30 mins) 10.01 SS16 Loulé 2 22.65km 11.16 SS17 S. Brás Alportel 2 16.23km 12.11 Serv I Algarve Stadium (10 mins) 13.15 SS18 Estádio Algarve 2 ! ; 2.21km 14.00 Finish Faro 14.10 Total 79.97km Rally total 361.36km Full standings http://www.rallye-info.com/points.asp |