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2005 WRC: RALLY AUSTRALIA

• Rally 16 of 16: Nov 11-13, 2005, Rally Australia
• GRAVEL EVENT
• LOCATION: PERTH, WEST AUSTRALIA
• Surface: slippery, loose gravel with bauxite stone pebbles.
• 2004 winner: Sebastien Loeb (FRA) Citroen
• 2003 winner: Petter Solberg (NOR),Subaru
• 2002 winner: Marcus Gronholm(FIN), Peugeot
• 2001 winner: Marcus Gronholm(FIN), Peugeot
• 2000 winner: Marcus Gronholm(FIN), Peugeot
• 2004 RESULT
  1 Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara
  2 Harri Rovanpera Peugeot 307
  3 Francois Duval Ford Focus RS 4 Mikko Hirvonen Subaru Impreza
  5 Dean Herridge Subaru Impreza WRX
  6 Chris Atkinson Subaru Impreza WRX
• COLIN McRAE BACK - winner of Australian Rally in 1997 & 1994 will drive for Skoda this weekend.
  "It is also one of my favourites because it is well organised, has a great atmosphere and I've had some great results there"

RALLY RESULT

FINAL, LEG 3: Sunday 13 November, 2005

François Duval claimed the first FIA WRC victory of his career today, the Citroën Xsara WRC driver finishing in Perth with a winning margin of 52.9 seconds. Behind Rovanperä in second was the private entry of Manfred Stohl, the Austrian a further 40 seconds behind the Finn. Chris Atkinson put in a great performance to climb from 13th to fourth by the finish and, behind Gigi Galli, Roman Kresta scored more points for Ford with the all-new Ford Focus RS WRC06. The most heart-wrenching retirement of the day was that of Colin McRae from second position, and then Toni Gardemeister also retired from fifth, the Finn advised to stop when the water temperatures rocketed in the Ford Focus RS WRC06.

• 1 Francois Duval, Citroen Xsara
  2 Harri Rovanperä Mitsubishi Lancer +53s
  3 Manfred Stohl Citroën Xsara
  4 Chris Atkinson, Australia, Subaru, 3:21.34.0.
  5 Gigi Galli, Italy, Mitsubishi, 3:22.59.4.
  6 Roman Kresta, Czech Republic, Ford, 3:23.04.0.
  7 Dani Sola, Spain, Ford, 3:25.32.4.
  8 Armin Schwarz, Germany, Skoda, 3:27.59.3.
  9 Toshi Arai, Japan, Subaru, 3:35.38.2.
  10 Mark Higgins, Britain, Ford, 3:37.24.8.
• RETIREMENT, McRAE: "I'm very disappointed - more for the team than myself. We would have been either second or third."

MITSUBISHI RALLY REPORT:

• The Mitsubishi Motorsport crew of Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen claimed the team’s best result of the season today when they finished on the podium in second position. The Finns claimed five fastest stage times during the three-day event, demonstrating the increased performance of the Lancer WRC05. Team-mates “Gigi” Galli and Guido d’Amore finished a fine fifth in only their second outing in Rally Australia.
• The final leg of Rally Australia was the shortest at 103.32 competitive kilometers. However, the route still took in two loops of three identical stages and with battles throughout the top of the leaderboard, action was always guaranteed to be fast and furious. The stages have been as tricky as ever, with all the crews reporting unbelievably slippery conditions on the fast and flowing roads.
• Harri Rovanperä started the day in third but in the first stage he reduced the gap to Colin McRae to just 3.5 seconds. Then, in the longest stage of the event (Helena North), the Finn powered ahead of his rival to claim a 4.7 second advantage in the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05. Consolidating the position in the last of these three stages, Harri beat rally leader, Citroën’s François Duval, and a charging Chris Atkinson in the Subaru Impreza, to claim another fastest stage time. Harri and Risto returned to the mid-leg service with a 6.9 second advantage going into the final three stages. However, the task ahead was made much easier when what should have been a routine clutch change on McRae’s Škoda saw the crew go over the time permitted. So, even though the pressure was off the Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 crew, they still had three stages to complete without mistakes before returning to Perth in a fantastic second position.
• “I am very very happy for the whole team,” said a delighted Harri, “and especially for all the mechanics who have worked so hard since the beginning of the season. It’s been a great rally for us; the car has worked well, the performance and speed has been good and the feeling has been right all weekend. It’s a great way to round off the year.”
• Gigi Galli, who had climbed as high as fourth yesterday, slipped from fifth to seventh this morning. The Italian had no problems, but was once again tackling stages for the first time and intent on finishing the rally without incident. This afternoon however he still had to continue defending his position from a charging Roman Kresta and, following the retirements of McRae and Toni Gardemeister, the crew claimed fifth overall.
• “It’s been a really really tough rally,” said Gigi. “Now I can see and believe why it’s so important to have experience of this event with the surface, pace notes, speed; everything that makes a difference to your performance. I have to keep in mind our goal was to finish, but fifth is a good position for us.”
• Isao Torii, Head of Mitsubishi Motorsport said: “Finally, a great rally! I am very pleased and so proud of our team; thank you very much to Harri, Risto and everyone. The first and last rally of the season we achieved a podium position and this leads us into next year in a very positive way; a very big thank you. Gigi also kept our team orders and finished in fifth position, which is very good.”
• Adding to their comments, Roger Estrada, Principal Rally Engineer said: “I’m very pleased; this podium is the result of a fantastic team effort. The cars have run extremely reliably all weekend and it’s a big confidence boost for our 2006 campaign. Congratulations to Harri, Risto, Gigi and Guido for their performance on this rally and it’s a great gift, from the team, to Andrew (Cowan) on his last event.”
• Rally Australia closed the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship season and although the crews don’t return to competitive action until Rallye Monte-Carlo, in January 2006, teams will now start a hectic round of test and development work for next season.

LEG 2: Saturday 12 November, 2005

Following the retirement of Petter Solberg - who was forced out when a kangaroo jumped onto the road in front of his Subaru causing extensive damage to the cooling system - François Duval takes tonight’s advantage and leads by 27.1 seconds. Colin McRae and Harri Rovanperä have battled throughout the leg, but McRae takes a close second overnight, despite a gearshift problem early this morning. Chris Atkinson has powered up the leaderboard from 10th to sixth in the remaining Subaru, while Roman Kresta is piloting the lead Ford Focus in its debut competitive outing. Team-mate Toni Gardemeister lost power when the Focus dropped onto three cylinders this morning. He overnights in eighth position in a leg characterized by very close competition.

• 1. Francois Duval (BEL), Citroen Xsara 2 hr 21 min 12.6sec
  "Everything went well in these stages, which are actually the ones I like most. I'm trying to follow the same pace as Harri and Colin thanks to the split times I receive. Now we will drive another time through yesterday's stages. I shouldn't drive too slow as my main rivals are driving flat out. But I should also stay on the road"
  2. Colin McRae Skoda Fabia +27s
  "We lost some time this morning with the gearshift problem but it wasn't so bad. I'm working hard to win the battle with Harri and trying to keep Francois under pressure. Given that I've only driven the car in competition for less than 600kms I'd settle for second right now but I'm still going to try and win if I can. The Fabia is certainly good enough to set the times it needs."
  3. Harri Rovanperä Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 +32s
  "It was a big kangaroo, like a horse! A few kilometers into the stage, at top speed, the kangaroo jumped into the side of the car. The lock broke and the door flew open and we had to complete the rest of the stage like this. It's the worst place in the world for this to happen, with the amount of dust coming into the car. I'm feeling very confident and good with the car though, and the set-up of the suspension, so tomorrow we'll continue pushing hard and see what happens."
  4. Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor Citroën Xsara WRC +1m 11
  5. Gigi Galli/Guido d’Amore Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05
  6. Chris Atkinson/Glenn Macneall Subaru Impreza WRC2005
  7. Roman Kresta/Jan Tomanek Ford Focus RS WRC06
  8. Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen Ford Focus RS WRC06
  9. Dani Solà/Xavier Amigo Ford Focus RS WRC04
  10. Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha Škoda Fabia WRC
  11. Toshihiro Araï (JPN) Subaru Impreza
  12. Aki Teiskonen (FIN) Subaru Impreza
  13. Mark Higgins (GBR) Subaru Impreza
  14. Gabriel Pozzo (ARG) Subaru Impreza
  15. Fumio Nutahara (JPN) Mitsubishi Lancer
  16. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT) Subaru Impreza
  SOLBERG OUT: "I feel a bit like I did after our retirement in Japan. Everything was going perfectly, the car was just right, we had the speed and then something just came out of the blue. Obviously I'm terribly disappointed for Subaru and the whole team, they deserved this win. I sincerely hope we've used up all our bad luck now. I suppose I should be glad that the kangaroo was hunched down when we hit, if it had been up in the air then at 190kph I think it would have been through the screen. Up to that point things had been going perfectly. I wasn't pushing hard at all, there was no need for a big attack, but when you're on a long straight you always go flat out and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. It's incredible really, we didn't see a single one on the recce and yet this happens today. Still, it is some consolation that we have the silver medal in the drivers' championship this year and that's still a good result for all of us. We'll be back next year looking to set the record straight."

MITSUBISHI LEG 2 REPORT:

• The Mitsubishi Motorsport WRC team looks set to round off the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship season on a high note, following fierce battles and a potential podium position at the end of the second leg of Rally Australia. Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen have been on great form, the Finns claiming three fastest stage times to take an overnight third position. Team-mates “Gigi” Galli and Guido d’Amore climbed to fourth during the day, but slipped to fifth in the final forestry stage after losing time with an overshoot.

  Today’s action took in some of the most spectacular of the season. Heading south-west of Perth, the crews contested the Bannister stages, formerly known as the Bunnings complex. Here, high-speed roller-coaster stages launch cars meters into the air and the famous watersplash is another favorite with the fans who flock to this pine plantation. In total, the leg took in nine stages and 122.15 competitive kilometers, with the action rounded off back at the Gloucester Park super special this evening.

  While Harri had a trouble-free run this morning, the day started off in bizarre fashion when a kangaroo jumped into the side of the car in the first stage. The Lancer WRC05 only sustained panel damage, but the crew was forced to tie-wrap the door shut and tape round the seals with stickers pulled off the car to restrict the amount of dust entering. Having recovered from the incident, Harri and Risto then went on to set fastest time in the following two stages (SS13/SS14) to climb to second, and second-fastest in SS15 to maintain position. In the final stage before the mid-leg service, the crew lost time with a spin, dropping them back to third but a mere 4.8 seconds behind Colin McRae and with current leader François Duval still within striking distance.

  This afternoon, the battle between Rovanperä and McRae continued, but the Scot kept the advantage despite some top times by the Lancer WRC05 driver and another fastest stage time at the super special.

  “It was a big kangaroo, like a horse!” said Harri. “A few kilometers into the stage, at top speed, the kangaroo jumped into the side of the car. The lock broke and the door flew open and we had to complete the rest of the stage like this. It’s the worst place in the world for this to happen, with the amount of dust coming into the car. I’m feeling very confident and good with the car though, and the set-up of the suspension, so tomorrow we’ll continue pushing hard and see what happens.”

  Gigi Galli also had a trouble-free morning and was never outside the top seven, despite having never contested these stages before. In a close-fought battle with Citroën driver Manfred Stohl, the Italian ultimately overhauled the Austrian in SS16 to claim fourth overall after setting second-fastest time. They were narrowly beaten by Stohl in SS17 and, with such a small gap between the two rivals, Gigi slipped to fifth. And then, in the final forestry stage this afternoon, a pace note error saw the crew overshoot a corner and have two small spins. They were however fortunate to maintain position, such was the gap to sixth-placed Chris Atkinson.

  “We’re lucky to be here after the overshoot; it must have been the only corner in Australia without a tree,” said Gigi. “After that I lost my rhythm and we dropped more than 40 seconds, but fortunately not any positions. Overall though, the day has been good, especially as today’s stages were all new to me.”

  Commenting on the day’s action, Isao Torii, Head of Mitsubishi Motorsport, said: “Overall it has been a good day for us and our best scenario is Harri second and Gigi fourth, but both crews made a small mistake. But still, they are in good position. Tomorrow, nobody knows what will happen; there is still another tricky day ahead with a lot of kilometers, but our goal is the podium certainly.”

  Added Roger Estrada, Principal Rally Engineer: “It’s been a very good day and the crews performed well in these Bannister stages. We’ve had no technical problems and good reliability, and we’re in a good position to push tomorrow.”

  The final leg of Rally Australia is the shortest at 103.32 competitive kilometers but still takes in two loops of three identical stages. The route takes the crews to the east of Perth and returns to the city for the finish at 14:45 hrs (local).

LEG 1: Friday 11 November, 2005

Petter Solberg takes the overnight lead after dicing with Sébastien Loeb throughout the afternoon. However, the most uncharacteristic result of the day is the retirement of Sébastien Loeb, the Frenchman hitting a tree when he went off the road. François Duval moved into second in the final two super special stages, overhauling Colin McRae in his second one-off drive for Škoda this season. Many have suffered through the leg. Subaru’s Chris Atkinson had to contend with bent steering in SS6 and SS7 and, from leading the rally, the Australian has dropped to 10th. Peugeot end the season and its time in the FIA WRC on a disappointing note. Daniel Carlsson was the first to go off the road and team-mate Marcus Grönholm, with a suspension problem, also went off. Both retired. Xavier Pons, in a privately-run Citroën, was been forced out with a damaged radiator following an accident and Antony Warmbold rolled in SS6, again retiring.

• 1 Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza
  "It's been great fun out there today, better than I expected actually, the car and tyres have been perfect and I'm really enjoying myself. In Japan we saw how much of a step we'd made on gravel and today it's felt good to be fighting for the lead again - that's what we're here for. Running second on the road today there was lots of loose gravel about and it was extremely slippery and easy to make a mistake and spin. We pushed where we could, but the main objective was to get through cleanly and get a better road position for tomorrow's Leg. We've done that now and I think we'll be able to enjoy ourselves over the next couple of days!"
• 2 Francois Duval (BEL), Citroen Xsara
• 3 Colin McRae Skoda Fabia
  "Today has gone completely to plan. I drove a bit too slowly on the opening stage but since then I’ve been able to push. The road position has obviously helped but the car has been fine too. If we can do the same tomorrow then who knows what sort of result is possible?"
• 4 Harri Rovanperä/Risto Pietiläinen Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05
• 5 Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor Citroën Xsara WRC
• 6 Gigi Galli/Guido d’Amore Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05
• 7 Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen Ford Focus RS WRC06
• 8 Roman Kresta/Jan Tomanek Ford Focus RS WRC06
• 9 Dani Solà/Xavier Amigo Ford Focus RS WRC04
• 10 Chris Atkinson/Glenn Macneall Subaru Impreza WRC2005

MITSUBISHI REPORT - LEG 1

• The Mitsubishi Motorsport WRC team enjoyed a positive opening leg of Rally Australia, the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Harri Rovanperä and Risto Pietiläinen hold a fine fourth overall in the lead Lancer WRC05, while team-mates “Gigi” Galli and Guido d’Amore are sixth overnight.
• The start of the event was marked by the first running of Perth’s super special stage at Gloucester Park last night, the 2.35 kilometer crowd-pleasing stage run twice for the entertainment of thousands of cheering fans. Today, however, the crews headed south for the first full day of competition in the forests before returning to the city for another two runs around the super special stage. As ever, the roads proved tricky and were littered with loose gravel, making position on the road an important factor.
• Harri Rovanperä has had a steady run throughout the leg, the Finn upping the pace this afternoon to maintain a closely-fought fifth position. The Mitsubishi Lancer WRC05 crew then moved into fourth after SS9 and, after setting fastest time in the final stage of the day, are less than 20 seconds adrift of second position.
• “It’s been a long day and I’ve been trying to understand our new damper set-up,” said Harri. “When the roads are fast, smooth and flowing, it’s very good, but also I feel the grip level is not always so great. I really pushed in the last two forest stages and SS8 felt very good. We’ve had no technical problems and hopefully we can maintain the pace tomorrow.”
• Team-mate Gigi Galli held eighth position at the mid-leg service after suffering a minor misfire during this morning’s stages but has moved up into sixth position, again within striking distance of his rivals.
• “It’s a good start for us and I’m feeling happy with the set-up of the car,” said Gigi. “I have to say we had some problems this morning with the engine misfire and then we hit something and damaged the steering. This afternoon has been fine, although we had a big moment in SS7 with the pace notes. Tires have been good, although we’re still learning about Pirelli’s evolution tire.”
• Said Isao Torii, Head of Mitsubishi Motorsport: “It is going nearly as we expected. Between second and sixth position it is very close, and we have two cars in that group. It’s been a good day and both crews have done a good job. Tomorrow is another tough day over very slippery roads and I hope we can maintain our performance and keep some good luck.”
• Adding to the comments, Principal Rally Engineer Roger Estrada said: “It’s been a positive day and the cars have been very reliable. Gigi had a small problem this morning but it didn’t really affect his times too much. We have good positions at the end of the leg and the drivers seem confident and happy. We took a gamble on tires at times and went softer than recommended, but all in all we’re pleased.”
• Saturday’s leg takes the contenders to the south-west of Perth for the Bannister stages, formerly known as the Bunnings complex. These roller-coaster roads are famous the world-over and provide some of the season’s most spectacular action. In total, the leg takes in nine stages and 122.15 competitive kilometers, with the action rounded off back at the Gloucester Park super special in Perth.

RALLY ROUTE

• TOTAL: 1345.41 km (355.01 km COMPETITION)
• 26 STAGES (11 different)
• Thursday 10 November: Leg 1 Perth - Perth
• Start Perth 17.50
  SS1 Perth City Super 1 2.35km 18.13
  SS2 Perth City Super 2 2.35km 18.22
• Friday 11 November: Leg 1 Perth - Perth (cont)
• Serv A Perth (10 mins) 07.15
  SS3 Murray North 1 15.92km 09.23
  SS4 Murray South 1 20.12km 09.56
  SS5 Turner Hill 5.35km 10.46
  SS6 Murray North 2 15.92km 11.57
  SS7 Murray South 2 20.12km 12.30
  Serv B Perth (30 mins) 14.50
  SS8 Beraking 1 23.03km 16.31
  SS9 Flynns 1 19.87km 17.17
  SS10 Perth City Super 3 2.35km 19.15
  SS11 Perth City Super 4 2.35km 19.24
  Serv C Perth (45 mins) 19.37
• Saturday 12 November: Leg 2 Perth - Perth
• Serv D Perth (10 mins) 07.35
  SS12 Bannister North 1 17.71km 09.25
  SS13 Bannister Central 1 17.85km 09.57
  SS14 Bannister Loop 3.62km 10.41
  SS15 Bannister North 2 17.71km 12.03
  SS16 Bannister Central 2 17.85km 12.35
  Serv E Perth (30 mins) 14.50
  SS17 Beraking 2 23.03km 16.31
  SS18 Flynns 2 19.87km 17.17
  SS19 Perth City Super 5 2.35km 19.15
  SS20 Perth City Super 6 2.35km 19.24
  Serv C Perth (45 mins) 19.37
• Sunday 13 November: Leg 3 Perth - Perth
• Serv G Perth (10 mins) 06.30
  SS21 Atkins 1 4.42km 07.33
  SS22 Helena North 1 29.93km 08.03
  SS23 Helena South 1 17.31km 08.44
  Serv H Perth (30 mins) 10.10
  SS24 Atkins 2 4.42km 11.33
  SS25 Helena North 2 29.93km 12.03
  SS26 Helena South 2 17.31km 12.44

• LOEB: "These past two years, running first on the road has been less of a handicap because of rain prior to the start which helped limit the damage. There are a number of different scenarios which can vary from stage to stage. At times, you have to cut a line through the famous top-coating of marbles, at others you come across clear lines left by the cars during recce. But even then, it is difficult to stick to them when you're pushing hard. To help boost morale, it is often said that the drivers running second and third on the road are more or less in the same boat, but sometimes it only takes the line cleared by one car - namely mine - for them to be able to get down to the road's hard-packed base. The split times show that we take a hiding but there is nothing we can do about it. For sure, it's irritating. But the danger is allowing that irritation to lead you into doing something stupid. The first leg in Australia is therefore an object lesson in patience. You just have to drive as well as you can on the Friday and then take stock at the end of the day to see what sort of result is realistic."
• DUVAL: "In 2002, I retired after hitting a small tree with my door. In 2003, I was slowed by hydraulic problems I think. Last year, everything went well. In a WRC car, the stages are sometimes very slippery but I have often benefited from a favourable road order. This time, I will be fifth on the road on the Friday I think. It will probably still be a little difficult and very slippery. A good position, in Australia, is at least tenth on the road."

SUBARU

• SOLBERG: "The focus this rally is on securing second position in the drivers' championship. We've shown that we can compete with Marcus on a level playing field and I will be 100% determined to get a good result. Australia is a fantastic event and we've had a win here so I am confident that we can achieve our aim. I enjoy the stages, the weather is good, the people are friendly - it's the perfect place to celebrate!"
• ATKINSON'S HOME RALLY: "I'm really looking forward to this event. It will be fantastic to go home and after my first year in the World Rally Championship it will be interesting to see the support that we have. This will only be my second time on the rally in Perth, so I don't have a massive home advantage - my home's four thousand kilometres away on the east coast! We have had some good results this year, though, and the goal will be to achieve a similar result to Japan. We've shown what we can do when we have experience of the event."

FORD

• GARDEMEISTER: "It's exciting to think about driving the new car for the first time. It looks fantastic and I'm impressed with it. I've not driven the new Focus RS WRC yet and shakedown will be the first time I get the opportunity to do that. It will be difficult because I don't know how it will behave, but that's the kind of information the team wants to learn. "I like the country and the rally. The roads are fast and similar to my home event in Finland. They are also slippery with trees right by the side of the road so if a driver makes a mistake, it's easy to land in big trouble"
• KRESTA: "I was there with a former team in 2002. I didn't do the recce but checked some of the stages to get a feel for the roads. They appear fast and narrow in places, with a lot of trees close to the edge of the road. It will be difficult as a 'first-timer' but I'm used to that this
  season. My aim is to learn as much about the nature of the roads as possible. I'm excited about driving the new Focus RS WRC. I went to M-Sport to fix my seat position after the Rally Catalunya and I drove the car slowly around the grounds of Dovenby Hall for about 300
  metres. Now I can't wait to drive it at speed on the shakedown. The technology is fantastic but that's what you expect from a new Ford Focus RS WRC"

MITSUBISHI

• ROVANPERA: "It's a rally, country and city I like a lot. It's always very nice to go to Perth and I have a lot of good memories. In previous years each leg's stages have had very different characteristics and each is difficult and challenging. Tires are very important for this rally, like everywhere, but I hope the weather will not be too hot and then we can really fight. Pirelli tires always work well here and I'm confident of a good performance, like in Wales and Japan. If we can have a trouble-free time, we will get a good result, I'm sure".
• GALLI: For me that is the biggest characteristic of the event; the closeness of the trees to very fast and narrow roads and for that I don't really like this rally so much. This is my first year driving the world rally car in Australia and it will not be so easy to make the change I think. But, of course I feel confident after our performance on the last gravel rally in Japan, but once again we stick to our goal of gaining experience and learning the roads for the future. I'm confident in the performance of the Pirelli tires as they are competitive on this event and for this I don't have any worries. I think if we are able to find a good balance between performance and consistency, we can have a good result for the team at the end of the year".

SKODA

• COLIN McRAE: "Australia is a very difficult rally. It is high-speed and the trees are very close to the edge of the road. Combine that with the unique road surface and you end up with one of the toughest rallies of the year. It is also one of my favourites because it is well organised, has a great atmosphere and I've had some great results there. My start position should be perfect so I'm looking forward to the event."
• SCHWARZ: "Australia is a great country to visit. Everyone knows how hard the rally is and that is partly because of the surface but also because there is not the same natural rhythm to the stages that you find anywhere else. But it will definitely be a fun place to end the season."

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