CITROEN HEADS OFf to AN ICY CHALLENGE
With Europe locked in the icy grip of winter, with deep snow and freezing temperatures across the continent, the World Rally Championship heads off into the coldest and deepest snowbound event of its season, the Rally of Sweden, this weekend (9-12 February 2012)
After the 2012 season kicked off in style in the Monte Carlo Rally for Citroen with Sébastien Loeb claiming his six win in the classic rally, Loeb will be hoping for a repeat of his 2004 win, but his new team mate Mikko Hirvonen, winner here in 2010 and 2011, will be looking to make it a hat-trick and also clinch their first victory with the Citroën Total World Rally Team.
Before embarking on a series of six gravel rallies, the WRC heads north, to the ice and snow-covered terrain of Scandinavia. Based in Karlstad, the capital of the county of Värmland, the format of Rally Sweden has been altered for the 2012 edition. Thursday will feature the first ever Qualifying Stage in the history of the World Rally Championship.
Also to be used in the gravel rallies, this new system will enable the best drivers to choose their starting positions, thus eliminating problems related to clearing the road. Friday, the first day proper of the rally, will be mostly run on special stages used in the 2009 Rally Norway.
Winners of Rallye Monte-Carlo, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena return to an event where they have only won once back in 2004. Despite this, the eight-time World Champions will still be aiming to win the rally.
“It’s perhaps not a surface on which I excel, but I love competing here. It’s actually one of the season’s most enjoyable rallies,” commented Sébastien Loeb. “If you look at my record here in previous rallies, it has often been the conditions that have made things more difficult for me. When I went off the road in 2008, it wasn’t really a winter rally as the above-zero temperatures had turned the ice into mud. Last year, I finished sixth but lost any hope of winning after clearing the road of freshly-fallen snow on the first day and then picking up a puncture… When the stages have roads covered with a good layer of sheer ice, I think I'm just as fast as my rivals.”
Regularly, if not almost always, handicapped by clearing the roads in previous years, Sébastien Loeb is unsurprisingly pleased about the changes made this year to the sporting regulations:
“I thought the previous system was unfair, as the Championship leader was penalised at the start of each rally. Now I will only have myself to blame if I end up being poorly placed on the road. It won’t be easy, however, to choose the right position in the start order. In Sweden, the first few cars on the road leave a layer of crushed ice behind them that reduces grip as soon as you stray slightly off the racing line. But going first can be a disadvantage if there has been any snowfall overnight, leaving powdery snow on the roads. We mustn't overlook any of the factors.”
As part of its preparations for this event, Citroën Total World Rally Team conducted testing in Norway with Mikko Hirvonen and then Sébastien Loeb. The Finn will also be taking part in Rally Finnskog next Saturday.
“Mikko has joined the team with his own experience and he has helped improve the set-up of the DS3 WRC on ice,” added Seb. “I tried his set-up and I immediately felt confident. We have made a lot of progress compared with 2011.”
“After winning the last two editions of Rally Sweden, obviously my goals is to win again,” confirmed Mikko Hirvonen. “I think that it will be a more closely-fought race than at Monte-Carlo, simply because we will all have the same tyres from start to finish. Personally, it is a new challenge, which is very motivating for me.”
THREE QUESTIONS FOR… MIKKO HIRVONEN
How did it feel to complete your first tests with the Citroën DS3 WRC on ice?
“It was very enjoyable to drive in conditions that I really love. Unlike Monte-Carlo, where the grip changes all the time, ice provides a very consistent level of grip. In the first few kilometres, my feeling with the car was mixed. We worked with the engineers and ended up finding the right balance for the extreme conditions that are typical in Sweden and Norway. I was very pleased with the result at the end of the session; I think we’re ready!”
Do you think you can clinch a third consecutive win in Sweden?
“The first thing would say is that I think we have a car that can win. But even though we have done well as this rally in the last four years, it is still going to be a difficult challenge. We have worked hard in testing but the Citroën DS3 WRC is still new to me. I can’t predict what my level of confidence will be on the stages but yes, I think I have chance of winning.”
MAJOR CHANGES TO THE REGULATIONS FOR 2012
· Start order on tarmac: In accordance with the championship standings for the first section, and then in accordance with the previous day’s race standings, grouping together P1 and P2 priority drivers.
· Start order in Sweden and on gravel: The driver with the fastest time in the Qualifying Stage of the shakedown is first to choose his position on the road for the first section, and so on. On the following days, P1 and P2 priority drivers start in reverse order of the previous day’s race standings.
· Qualifying Stage (QS) procedure: From 8am to 10am, each crew can complete two non-timed runs. From 10.30am, each crew completes a single run in the order of the championship standings. QS is governed by the same service rules as the rest of the rally (eight mechanics with armbands for two cars). At the end of the QS, the cars must be taken to the Parc Fermé.
· Rally 2: This is the new name for SupeRally.
· Engines: Only three engines per car, per season, are permitted.
· Links: Each manufacturer must choose three links of three rallies and one link of two rallies in which the transmissions, subframes, steering racks and turbochargers are limited.
RALLY SWEDEN
· Round: 2/13
· Base: Karlstad
· Service Park: Hagfors airport.
· Surface: snow and ice
· Weather: Cold and dry, from -10°C to -25°C.
· Sunrise and sunset on the first day of the rally: 7.58am / 4.54pm
· Local time: UTC+1
· Currency: Local currency is the Swedish Krona (EUR 1 = SEK 8.87).
· Website: www.rallysweden.com
· Technical information: Spare parts (transmission, subframes, steering racks and turbochargers) are to be shared with the Mexico and Portugal rallies.
· Tyres: 35 Michelin X Ice-North studded tyres per car (including the shakedown).
· Reconnaissance: Tuesday, 7 February from 8am to 6pm and Wednesday, 8 February from 8am to 8pm.
· Shakedown: Thursday, 9 February from 8am to 2pm on a 3km-long stage in Hagfors, 7km south west of the service park.
· Press conference: Thursday 9 February at 2.30pm at Rally HQ (Elite Stadshotellet – Karlstad).
· Start: Thursday, 9 February at 7pm from the Färjestad racecourse in Karlstad.
· Route: 24 special stages (13 different stages). 349.16km of timed sections. Total distance: 1,842.6km
· Podium: Sunday, 12 February at 4.16pm on the main square in Karlstad.
(ends)
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EJR/ejr/1129
2/5/2012