World Rally 2005 - MotorSM.com

RALLY PREVIEW:

CITROEN PEUGEOT SUBARU FORD SKODA MITSUBISHI MICHELIN

SUBARU

Petter Solberg: "We have completed three days of testing on asphalt with the current car and we found a balance we were very happy with. We also tried a new Pirelli tyre compound and I got a good feeling. The performance was good and I think there is more to come from
the package in rally conditions. We have been reasonably competitive on asphalt in previous rallies and I will try, like in every event, to be in front. I think we can realistically hope for a podium - we have to hope and try for this."
Chris Atkinson: "I've never competed in the Tour de Corse, although I did do the recce a couple of years ago. Even though I won't be using the notes I made, it does give you an idea of what to expect. The roads are quite twisty and bumpy and the set-up of the car will be
important. This will only be my second tarmac event so it will be a big learning curve, but I'll draw on my experience from Germany. My confidence is high after Japan."
Stephan Sarrazin: "I recently completed two days of testing in Spain, where we tested tyres, suspension and the chassis set-up. It was very interesting and we found some good improvements. I know the rally from last year so I am very happy to go back. I am
confident we can achieve a good result as we showed in Germany that we had improved and are close to Citroen and Peugeot. I need to drive well and push 100%. At my home event I will have many fans and supporters, which will make this rally very exciting to drive."

FORD

Toni Gardemeister: "The first time I competed in Corsica was in 2000 and I hated the rally. Since then I've started to like it more and now the only thing I hate about it is the weather. It's virtually impossible to predict what the weather is going to do in
the mountains when we're sitting in the service park next to the sea trying to decide what tyres to choose. And if a driver is caught on dry weather tyres in the rain, it's easy to lose a minute or two on just one stage."I don't think the roads are any less twisty than they were, but they are certainly wider. The real difficulty with the stages is the surface. It changes all the time and there are so many different types of asphalt that there is no real consistency. It's unpredictable. We will not have a pre-event test but if the set-up is good on shakedown, and we have good information available after last year's win for the
car, I don't think it will be a problem,"

CITROEN

LOEB: "the Corsican stages are not as slow as many people imagine. OK, we are sometimes in 3rd gear, but more often than not we are in 4th or 5th gear. There are very few straights, but there are bumpy sections which tend to unsettle the car, so there's plenty going on. There's no time to get bored. What I like less is the fickleness of the weather. Driving in the wet on dry weather tyres is frankly a very delicate exercise, dangerous even. Not much fun at all. But that's rallying."
DUVAL: "The Corsican stages are obviously not the same as those we found in Germany. But it's still asphalt, so I think the domination of the Xsara and our tyres in the Deutschland Rally is still a valid pointer. And if that does prove to be the case again, I
really hope I can finish on the podium."

MITSUBISHI

ROVANPERA: "Both Corsica and Catalunya are events I drove some years ago so I have an idea of the roads and the conditions and I'm more confident with these two Tarmac rallies", said Harri. "The most important thing is that our Corsica test went well, I have a good set-up and confidence in the feeling. I would really prefer dry conditions for the rally, simply because when it is like this it's easier to get the feeling with the grip. If it's dry, I can see more but it's not necessary the best for our package. But okay, Corsica is twisty, fast and difficult; whatever the weather it won't be easy but I'm looking forward to it".
PANIZZI: "I love this rally, it is the best Tarmac event in the world", said Gilles. "I will try my hardest and I hope that it will be like Monte-Carlo. I would like to win, obviously, but I think
as always the weather is a big factor; every year it is the same and so difficult to predict what will happen up in the mountains. Sitting in the service park, making tire decisions so far ahead - maybe it can be raining, maybe storms inside the island, but I enjoy playing with those sort of conditions and hopefully the weather will be difficult, as that will help us. To go on the podium I think is possible. If this happens, I will be very very happy".

SKODA

Armin Schwarz: "Corsica is one of the nicest asphalt rallies. The surface is smoother than it used to be but the new format of long stages and reduced service makes it a big challenge. The autumn weather can be critical here also as we have seen many times in the past."
Alex Bengue: I know this event very well of course. I like it very much because it has a unique challenge for me. The roads are fantastic and there is a lot of good grip which should suit our car. I'm more confident about this rally than any of the others I have driven so far so I hope I can do well."

2005 WRC: RALLY FRANCE-CORSICA