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2006 WRC: RALLY JAPAN

• Rally 11 of 16: Sept 1-3, 2006, Rally of Japan

RALLY RESULT

CITROEN LEG 3 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Last year, the Franco-Monegasque pairing clinched a second consecutive world title in Japan. This year, after 27 stages, Seb and Daniel took their 27th career victory and claimed one of the few remaining records that had not yet been in their possession : the record for the total number of career wins, which they had held jointly with Spanish legend Carlos Sainz since the Rallye Deutschland. Now, this historic landmark is theirs alone. On the penultimate stage of the rally, Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were stopped by the car of Luis Perez Companc blocking the road after he went off. They lost their sixth position overall in the incident. The Kronos team asked the Race Control that their case should be studied and a notional time be given. This request was rejected. Furthermore, the Stewards watched the on-board cameras on that stage and noticed the Spanish crew did not correctly refasten their seat belts after returning to their car. In consequence, the Stewards have decided to exclude Dani Sordo and Marc Marti from the final classification of the Rally Japan 2006.
• Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "How was that for close? At the start of the final leg, I thought that the eight points for second place would have been a good result for the championship. Then we took the decision just to go for it, to try everything. The fight was too good just to walk away and settle for second. Mentally, that was an important turning point. But once we had decided on that course of action, Daniel and I were only thinking about one thing. We had no split times so it was just a question of going flat-out and driving as quickly as possible on order to try and win. On the last stage, we took a few risks. The smell of victory, and the potential joy of a team that once again performed faultlessly, made it all worth it."

FORD LEG 3 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• BP-Ford World Rally Team claimed a double podium on Rally Japan today after Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen almost secured their third win in four events during a breathtaking final day's action. The Finns came within just 5.6sec of victory after their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car outgunned Sébastien Loeb in a thrilling final day shootout in the remote hills of Hokkaido island. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished third in another Focus RS.
• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "That was a really great fight with Seb, I was on the limit all day today. A win was possible but it just wasn't to be. I tried so hard to catch him and I just needed one more stage and a few extra kilometres and I would have done. I think Seb was worried but it's difficult to consistently beat him by eight or nine seconds on every stage which is what I had to do today. My mistakes yesterday cost me the win."
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "It was quite an easy weekend for me in one way because I settled into third and wasn't challenged. I've learned how to drive at a consistently fast pace and that's important. It's good to be fighting with Dani Sordo for championship position and I want to make sure I'm battling for a podium on every rally. It's a good feeling to step onto the podium after a difficult rally like this and it's important for Ford that we keep picking up good points finishes. My consistency has improved and now I need to get closer to Seb and Marcus."

SUBARU LEG 3 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Subaru's Chris Atkinson finished Rally Japan in fourth place today after an excellent performance on the final Leg of the competition. Atkinson, who was third on the rally in 2005, set a string of top-five times on the day's six stages and was the Subaru World Rally Team's highest-placed finisher. Bringing his Subaru Impreza WRC2006 home in sixth place, Toshi Arai was the best-placed Japanese driver, while a frustrated Petter Solberg finished eighth.
• Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "We watched the battle at the top of the rally and I wish I was involved. I can't wait to get back into those fights again, but for now we have some problems and we need to work together as a team to find the solutions. It's difficult not just for me, but everyone. There's a lot of hard work from all of us to be done and I hope that at the next event we can be getting a bit closer."
• Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It's been a tough weekend for everyone, to get to the finish and give the fans something. Today we had a clean run with no major problems as all I had to do was cruise through the day and take a bit more time off Manfred. The result is the best we could have hoped for coming into the rally. For sure we are driving better than ever and certainly more consistently, getting mostly top five stage times."
• Toshi Arai/Toni Sircombe: "Generally not so bad throughout the rally. Yes, we had a few problems but I am pleased to get as good a finish as this as I had to learn the World Rally Car and now feel that I know it quite well. I also got used to the car speed and it felt quite comfortable. I wanted to
  thank Subaru for this opportunity and hope maybe that we can do it again.

CITROEN LEG 2 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and their Kronos Total Citroën WRT Xsara took the lead of the Rally Japan during the morning. Having ended the day with two runs through the Kita Aikoku spectator superspecial, Seb and Daniel now have a 25.6 second advantage over Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen. Dani Sordo and Marc Marti were grateful for the more consistent conditions of leg two, and enjoyed a trouble-free day to end up sixth.
• Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "There are about 100 competitive kilometres left, and having pushed hard from the start I'm going to keep pushing hard to the end. Marcus will probably do the same thing, so the battle continues!"
• Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: For a beginner, it's a lot easier to drive on roads that are more consistent. These stages are tricky enough as it is without the weather making life even more difficult - so I'm pleased. Today was much better. On the first loop of stages, our notes were not so good on the sections where we had done the recce in the heavy rain. I made quite a few corrections for the second loop, and with a slight change to the set-up at midday service, I felt a lot more confident. I think I could have gone quicker, but I prefer to err on the side of caution

FORD LEG 2 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• BP-Ford World Rally Team ended today's second leg of Rally Japan on course for a double podium. With one day remaining Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen lie second in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car after winning five speed tests, while team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen are third in another Focus RS.
• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "I'm not sure what I can do tomorrow but I will try hard to catch Seb. I need to ensure that I am as close as possible to him just in case he makes a mistake, so there's no way I'm giving up on this just yet."
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "When the roads were muddy and slippery then I took it easy because I didn't want to go off, but when conditions were drier it felt really good to let the car go and push harder."

SUBARU LEG 2 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Chris Atkinson continues to lead the Subaru World Rally Team's challenge after today's second Leg of competition on Rally Japan. The 26-year-old Queenslander put in a strong performance on each of the day's eleven stages and moved up the leaderboard from sixth to fourth place. After frustrations
  on Leg one, Petter Solberg's car's performance improved considerably and the Norwegian ended the day strongly by setting the second quickest time on the last two proper stages. Solberg holds seventh place overnight, ahead of the team's third driver, Toshihiro Arai, who lies eighth.
• Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "We've been able to split Marcus and Sebastien which is very pleasing, but on the other hand it's been quite tough as we lost so much time previously. We've made quite a few changes to the car and it has improved a lot and we have been able to be competitive. Tomorrow I hope to catch Sordo, but I'm not thinking too much about that as I am driving for all the fans."
• Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "It's been a good day. We made up a couple of spots and now we've got a bit of a gap over Stohl, which is exactly what we wanted to do. We had a few scratches this morning when we took a few chances, but this afternoon I took it pretty easy. We took a good choice of tyres that was a pretty safe option and tomorrow we'll judge the pace and drive accordingly."
• Toshi Arai/Toni Sircombe: "I had a big moment today when I hit a very, very big rock and went off the road on SS16. We got back on the road and continued but after I found out that I hit a photographer, a friend of mine, Naoki Kobayashi. He was okay and even sent me a message to say good luck and continue! I hope to see him out on the stages again very soon!"

CITROEN LEG 1 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena versus Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen. This is undoubtedly the match of the season and once more it is living up to all expectations. At the end of leg one of the Rally Japan - the 11th encounter between the two rivals this year - Loeb is keeping Grönholm in his sights, by holding the runner-up spot 11.5 seconds behind the Finn. After a day of learning the narrow and damp roads of Hokkaido, a concentrated Dani Sordo ends the leg in fifth place.
• Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "I swept away the loose gravel in Pawse Kamuy , made a few small mistakes in Rikubetsu, then I had a good feeling in Kanna. But in Puray the feeling was not so good, as the grip level was constantly changing." The second loop of stages was a carbon copy of the first and Seb limited the time loss to Grönholm to just 2.2 seconds, having once more set fastest time in Kanna. Nonetheless, the reigning World Champion stalled on the slowest hairpin in Puray, and later asked the service crew to check the function of his semi-automatic gearbox command. «I've got a problem with Pawse Kamuy, » reflected Seb during final service. For three years now I've never quite got to grips with that stage. That's where Marcus built up the bulk of his advantage. I was quicker in Kanna and he was in Puray : that's what a fight is all about ! I'm sure it will be very exciting again tomorrow.
• Daniel Sordo/Marc Marti: In the afternoon the stages were cleaner and less damp. As it was my second run through them at speed, I felt happier and more confident. My times got better and so I made up two places. Tomorrow, I'm going to stick with the same tactics. I will get to know the stages carefully, try to improve during the second run, and above all I want to avoid mistakes. My main aim on this rally is first and foremost to score as many manufacturer points as I can for Kronos.

FORD LEG 1 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen lead Rally Japan after controling today's opening leg. The Finns powered their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to the front from the opening kilometre this morning and were never headed as they won six of the gravel speed tests, building a 10.5sec advantage. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen hold a comfortable third in a similar Focus RS after setting a consistently quick pace.
• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "After our win in Finland on the last rally, I felt confident here before the start," said 38-year-old Grönholm. "It has been a good battle with Loeb today but I must admit I was hoping my lead would be bigger tonight. It's obviously going to be a hard fight and I need to stretch my advantage tomorrow because the gap at the moment isn't big enough. One small mistake could be costly. "We made a good tyre choice. The roads were extremely muddy and slippery this morning and the conditions became worse with the passage of every car. I've not tested in that weather but everything was OK and it was drier this afternoon. Loeb beat me twice on the same stage and I remember losing time there last year. Maybe I need to have a closer look at my pace notes next year," he added.
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "About 3km after the start I hit a concrete post on a bridge on a fifth gear right bend," he explained. The impact bent a rear wheel and I lost my confidence. I dropped a few seconds over the remaining kilometres, especially in the slow corners, and if I back off even a tiny bit then Marcus and Seb move ahead. "I had good grip all morning in the mud but sometimes the odd corner was like ice and then the car just slid wide. It was better this afternoon but the roads cut up badly and it was like driving on a railway track in places because the ruts were so deep. I can't catch Marcus and Seb and I need to be a bit braver to match their pace. It is the same situation as it was in Finland a fortnight ago and I'm just going to follow it and drive so as not to make mistakes"

SUBARU LEG 1 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• At the end of a difficult first day of competition in Japan Chris Atkinson holds sixth place overall and leads the three car Subaru World Rally Team entry. The day started well for Subaru, with Petter Solberg jostling for a top-three position, but a brake problem on the fourth stage cost him almost two minutes and dropped him down to tenth overall. It was a similar story for Atkinson; he started well, but dropped down the order - in his case after collecting 50 seconds of penalty time for leaving service late. On his first outing in a WRC car since 2001, much of Toshi Arai's day was spent familiarising himself with the latest Impreza model. In front of his home crowd he set consistent top-ten times and holds seventh place overnight.
• Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "We are trying very hard and everybody is absolutely doing their best, but we still need to do more. We had some more problems this afternoon and we know why, so we'll look at the problem with the car and see what we can do for tomorrow. It's certainly tough, but then
  it's tough for the entire team and that's how it is at the moment."
• Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "Today's been a challenging day in some quite difficult conditions. We had a couple of small problems which we'll fix and then get on with it again. The aim is to keep going, have a trouble-free day tomorrow, and try hard. I'm sure we can make up some positions."
• Toshi Arai/Toni Sircombe: "The first bit of today was not so bad but the second half I lost a lot of time and then had to slow right down in the Superspecial with a clutch problem. The first stages were quite good I think, so tomorrow I will try and drive at the same speed as I am still learning the car."

RALLY PREVIEW

CITROEN (KRONOS) RALLY PREVIEW  (TOP OF PAGE)

• To tackle the third edition of the Rally Japan, the Kronos Total Citroën WRT, currently leading the Manufacturers' championship, enters two 2006 Xsara WRCs. They will be driven by two-times World Champions Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, clear leaders of the 'Drivers' rankings, and by the Junior World rally champion Dani Sordo, as usually co-driven by Marc Marti. As championship's leaders, Seb and Daniel will start first on the road on day one, facing the road sweeping in the morning. They hope this task won't turn into 'heavy road-works' as it was the case last year in some sections covered in a rocky layer. But they also hope they could still be in position to get in the fight for a win after that. However, their comfortable lead in the championship allows them to choose in between the Bushido - the warrior path - and the Go Game, all about tactics. In the 'challengers match', such important for the Manufacturers' Championship, Dani Sordo discovers the event and has two less participations than Mikko Hirvonen. However, this does not bother the Junior World champion as he is decided to concentrate on learning the terrain and find the right pace to reach the finish with the maximum number of points for the Kronos Total Citroën World Rally Team.
• Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "It's not my favourite but there are nice things though. I like feeling 'disorientated' and there aren't places above Japan for that. The enthusiasm of the crowd when they shake little flags is both amusing and nice. Some stages are interesting even if their narrow character stops from choosing a line. Last year, some of speed-tests situated on the long road section in between Obihiro and Rikubetsu, had too soft grounds which became rutted too quickly. All the drivers have talked about it at the finish. I hope this year's route will be modified in that
  direction."

FORD RALLY PREVIEW  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Victory in Finland earlier this month for Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen's Ford Focus RS World Rally Car was the squad's fourth in 10 rounds. It also ensured that with six rounds still remaining, Ford is enjoying its most successful championship season since 1993. Both Grönholm and Rautiainen and BP-Ford team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have competed on both previous Rally Japan WRC events. Grönholm, who lies second in the drivers' championship, won last year and was fourth in 2004. Japan marks 26-year-old Hirvonen's 50th WRC start. "If I had to pick any highlights from the first 49 rallies, I would choose two," he said. "The first would be in Spain last year when I finished third in a Focus as a private entrant. The second would be Finland last week. That was also very special.
• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: I'm excited about all these last six gravel events," said 38-year-old Grönholm. "I will start each of those believing I can win. I had absolutely no problems with the car in Finland and that's really encouraging. If a driver is happy about the reliability of his car it makes a big difference to his confidence and his general approach to an event."The stages in Japan are mostly narrow, but still fast, and there isn't much room to choose your line. They remind me of the stages in Britain and some are even like Finland, but without the big crests and jumps. If I can be as fast in Japan as I was in Finland then I will be quite happy! It's important to take care coming out of the corners. The ditches are close to the road and there are usually bushes and leaves covering them so you can't really see them properly. Some are quite deep and it's quite easy to drop the car into one just because you can't see it," he added.
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "I quite enjoy Japan. In fact Finland was a good shakedown for next weekend because the stages in both countries are fast and I'm already in the right attitude. We're not allowed to test outside Europe before events but the stages are not so different to Finland so the set-up of the car will be pretty much the same. "The narrow roads are the main feature. But they are changing. Even last year, when it was only the rally's second time in the championship, the roads were a little wider. People were braver in cutting corners and when that happens the bends change in character and eventually become more open," added Hirvonen.

ATKINSON SUBARU RALLY PREVIEW

• Atkinson eyes top result in Japan Monday August 28, 2006
• Subaru rally driver, Chris Atkinson, heads to Japan this weekend for the eleventh round of the 16-round World Rally Championship, looking for a top five result at his team’s home event.
• Atkinson finished third in Japan last year, the first time an Australian has been on the podium of a WRC event since Ross Dunkerton’s achievement in 1992.
• While he would dearly love to repeat that podium result, the Queenslander will adopt an approach of maintaining pace with the elite in the field across the opening two days so he is ready to strike on the final day when the results are determined.
• The Gold Coast driver will once again partner Petter Solberg in the Subaru World Rally Team assault on Rally Japan, driving an Impreza WRC2006.
• Atkinson has an excellent record in Japan. The Australian first contested Rally Japan in 2003 when it formed part of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and in 2004 won the Super 1600 class. His podium last year gives him added reason to be excited about the weekend ahead.“Rally Japan is Subaru’s home event so it’s a big rally for the team,” Atkinson said.
• “We did well there last year, and I enjoy the narrow, fast, tricky roads, but it could be difficult to get that result again.”
• “We’ve made some steps forward with the car. Now it’s all about getting to the stage where we’re consistently on the pace. We shouldn’t underestimate the task we’ve got in front of us but, all the same, we’ll be doing our best to get a good result for the Subaru supporters.”
• Subaru World Rally Team sporting director, Luis Moya, is certainly aware of the challenge ahead after a tough year on tour for his team.
• “Our record in Japan so far has been good; we’ve either won or led by a large margin,” Moya said. “This year, however, we have to be realistic about what we can achieve. We were encouraged by the step forward in performance in Finland, particularly by Chris’ times on Sunday, but it will be a tough event.”
• “Petter has a good chance of a podium, which would be very satisfying for the army of Subaru fans we expect to be there, while Chris’s pace in Finland shows he’s capable of achieving a similar finish to his 2005 result.”
• Solberg won the inaugural WRC event in 2004, but his 2005 rally came to a premature end when, with a 22 second lead, he hit a rock on the penultimate stage of the rally.
• Solberg and Atkinson will be joined at the rally by Japan’s Toshi Arai, also driving an Impreza WRC2006.
• Rally Japan, the championship’s only Asian round, is based in the city of Obihiro on Hokkaido, the most northerly of Japan’s islands
• The event usually attracts hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the country. Last year more than 200,000 people attended the three days of competition, while the ceremonial start alone drew 52,000 spectators.
• Rally Japan is a highly technical event with narrow, loose gravel stages which run through dense woodland on the edge of the vast Tokachi plain that stretches inland from the Pacific Ocean. Each Leg will be a grueling test for crews with up to 10 stages per day, ranging from short, twisty 3km sprints to fast, flowing roads more than 34km long. With stages separated by long liaison sections, drivers can be on the road for over 12 hours a day.
• Changeable weather is as much a feature of Rally Japan as the long days. Although Obihiro is protected by two mountain ranges, it lies in the path of Pacific weather systems which bring high winds and torrential rain to the island. This year’s rally takes place at the height of the typhoon season and it’s highly likely that heavy showers will fall each day, leaving the soft ground saturated with water. With some stages used four times, the roads will become heavily rutted as more cars drive through.
• This year, the route features 27 stages, one more than in 2005. Changes for this year include a new Superspecial on the edge of the service park that will be used five times during the rally and once as the shakedown stage, while the mammoth 50km Kunneywa-Niueo stage has been broken into three shorter stages.
• After a ceremonial start in central Obihiro on Thursday night, the first competitive stage of the rally begins at 0803hrs on Friday 1 September. The podium finish is scheduled for 1500hrs at the Kita Aikoku service park six kilometres south of Obihiro.

(TOP OF PAGE)

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