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2006 WRC: RALLY CYPRUS

• Rally 12 of 16: Sept 22-24, 2006, Rally of Cyprus

RALLY RESULT

CITROEN LEG 3 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Loeb and Elena win another duel
• Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena did not wait long to extend the record for career victories that they broke in Japan. Their win in Cyprus their eighth of the year and their third consecutive triumph on the 'Island of Aphrodite' brings the benchmark up to 28 wins, all of them achieved at the wheel of the Citroen Xsara WRC. Seb's lead of the drivers' championship is now up to 35 points, with four rallies and 40 possible points still up for grabs.
• Seb and Daniel won yet another tough duel with Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen after three hard days. Their battle, just as hotly-contested as the one that characterised Rally Japan, ran along a similar timescale. The Finn held the advantage on Friday morning, during which Seb swept the road clean by virtue of his road position. Then the Frenchman fought back on the cleaner roads of the afternoon. A neck-and-neck battle characterised Saturday morning, before Seb took control on Saturday afternoon.
• Then... "I remembered Japan," said Seb. "On Sunday morning there I conceded a little bit of time first thing, which was just the invitation Marcus wanted. So I went flat-out on the first stage this morning. A few split times later, it seemed to me that Marcus was no longer pushing to the limit. I was able to calculate my speed based on his, and the end of the rally was a lot calmer. While it was nearly the same scenario as Japan, "added the Citroen driver, "the conditions and the pace was very different : more like what you find in Greece. Citroen gathered a lot of data from the Acropolis and worked very hard in testing : my Xsara was entirely competitive here compared to its rival. I hope it will continue to be so over the next four rallies, so that we can win the drivers title and bring the Kronos Total Citroen team the maximum number of points in a very open and exciting manufacturers' championship..."
• The reigning World Champion's Spanish team mates did not quite enjoy the same success as their leader. Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio, who were delayed on the opening day, eventually found a suitable rhythm for the twisty stages. They steered clear of trouble throughout Saturday and Sunday, coming out of the last stage in sixth overall. Unfortunately, they were forced to stop on the final road section back to Limassol with a transmission problem.
• Dani Sordo and Marc Marti rejoined the rally under the super rally system on Saturday morning, but had the misfortune to go off the road on the Limassol `Downtown' spectator Superspecial. "I found it hard to develop a good rhythm from the start of the rally," said a mortified Dani. "I got a bit over-excited by the thought of being back on asphalt. But the grip is not so good when you just have gravel tyres..."
• "I'm obviously torn between the joy that Seb's victory brings us and the disappointment of the mishaps that befell our two young Spaniards, " said Kronos team principal Marc Van Dalen. "Xevi drove the sort of event that he needed to, in order to rebuild his confidence. I'm very pleased to see him as competitive as he was at the beginning of the season again. He deserves his sixth place. As for Dani....what happened was regrettable, as we know that every point counts in the manufacturers' championship. Having said that, we still lead the title race, and we are going to do all we can to try and win it... "

FORD LEG 3 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• World title battle rages as BP-Ford closes on leaders in Cyprus
• BP-Ford World Rally Team claimed a double podium finish on the Cyprus Rally today as the fight for the FIA World Rally Championship became ever more exciting. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen were second in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car after three days of tough competition over sun-baked rocky tracks in the Mediterranean island's mountains. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen claimed third in another Focus RS as Ford closed to within just seven points of the leaders.
• The battle for the manufacturers' world crown is a thrilling one and the podium success allowed BP-Ford to reduce the deficit at the top of the standings by another four points with four rounds remaining. The Blue Oval squad has outscored leaders Kronos Citroen by 10 points over the last three rallies. Grönholm strengthened his grip on second in the drivers' championship while Hirvonen moved to within two points of third-placed Dani Sordo.
• This 12th round of the series lived up to its reputation as a potential car-breaker. Air temperatures which peaked at 38Ë^ÚC and boulder-strewn gravel roads in the Troodos Mountains proved too much for many during the three days and 288.51km of competition. However, both Focus RS cars encountered no major difficulties during the 20 speed tests. (Two stages, including the Lemesos street stage, were cancelled today for safety reasons.)
• Grönholm led from the start until a spin yesterday afternoon dropped him behind Sébastien Loeb. He started today's final leg 21.8sec behind the Frenchman and attacked on the opening special stage. But when it became clear that Loeb was matching his pace, the 38-year-old Finn sensibly eased back and concentrated on taking second and good manufacturer points. Despite that he still won three tests, taking his tally for the event to nine, and eventually finished 21.2sec behind Loeb.
• "This is a great result for our challenge in the manufacturers' championship," said Grönholm. "Unfortunately I wasn't quite fast enough to beat Loeb here. The roads are so twisty that for some corners it is necessary to change right down to first gear. That's the big difference between here and the hot, rough rally in Greece that we won in June. We had no big problems with the car, again it was so strong in these conditions. It was so hot here that it was like a bad sauna! Next we go to Turkey, which should be cooler but it will be another rough event. We have proved the Focus is good on rough, tough roads so I'm looking forward to taking on Loeb again - and beating him!"
• Hirvonen settled into third early on the first day and opened a comfortable gap over Manfred Stohl in fourth. The 26-year-old Finn eased through the final leg, matching his pace to the split times of the Austrian, which were transmitted into Hirvonen's car during the stages. He eventually finished 1min 23.6sec clear of Stohl to claim his third consecutive third place finish.
• "This is my fifth podium in six rallies and it helped us move nearer the leaders in the championship which was our aim," said Hirvonen. "I found it difficult to settle into a good rhythm here. I had a big talk with Marcus and Christian Loriaux (technical director) last night and I now think I made a mistake with the set-up of my car for the rally. I made the decision before the start and so that is another lesson I have learned and I should be even more competitive on the next round in Turkey. It's good for me to close in on Dani Sordo in the drivers' series and put pressure on him. My mechanics have done a great job here in tough conditions and it has been a really good team effort."
• BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson said: "We made the decision with Marcus to see how the opening stage went this morning, and if we then felt we could not pull the time back, he would ease his pace. Manufacturer points were too important to take risks and there is everything to play for now. I'm happy with the performance and reliability on one of the most difficult events in the series and it is an important stepping stone for the rest of the season."
• Ford TeamRS director Jost Capito added: "Our target was to close the gap in the manufacturers' championship which we have done successfully. We are now in a position to really challenge for the title in the first year of the brand new Focus RS WRC, which exceeds our expectations by far."

CITROEN LEG 2 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Loeb fights back ...
• Having started the morning with a 6.4 second deficit to the leader, Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and their Kronos Total Citroen Xsara fought back. After a tight battle, they lead Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen by 21.8 seconds overnight. At the end of a trouble-free day, Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio hold sixth place. Dani Sordo and Marc Marti re-started the leg under the Superally regulations and made up four places to end the day in the top 10.
• As was the case yesterday, the sun beat down strongly over the hot gravel of the Cypriot stages. The action consisted once more of two identical loops of four stages, in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountains. On the first run through the stages, Sebastien Loeb running on BFGoodrich `narrow' tyres was closely matched with Marcus Gronholm. A good example is the 30- kilometre Foini Koilinia stage, which Seb won by just 0.1 seconds having also claimed the previous stage. At the midday service halt, after 56 competitive kilometres, Gronholm had extended his lead by just 2.1 seconds.
• For the second loop of stages, which promised cleaner and hotter roads, Seb chose BFGoodrich `H1' tyres. These covers are wider than usual and consequently have more rubber in contact with the ground. It proved to be an inspired choice. The reigning World Champion won all four of the afternoon's stages, reversing the trend that had been seen so far and carving himself out a 21.8 second lead. "I am particularly pleased with the second half of my day, " he said. "Yesterday we proved that we could really fight with Marcus and this morning confirmed that. Then the wide BFGoodrich tyres, which were perfect for the road conditions on the second run through the stages, allowed us to make a difference. "
• A carbon copy of Japan, then ? "I'd like to think that, of course ! " said Seb. "But if that is really the case, it means we can look forward to an exciting day tomorrow. Marcus is not going to let this one go and neither am I ! " Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio suffered two mishaps yesterday but leg two went much better for the Spanish crew. "I enjoyed myself a lot more today, " said Xevi. " The stages were a lot less slow than yesterday. At midday service, I asked for a small change to my Xsara's set-up. It wasn't a good move : during the afternoon my car was a little too soft. But that didn't hold me back too much. My aim was to avoid mistakes, and I'm very happy to have achieved that. I'm feeling confident and I think I've got a good rhythm and consistency, which is the key to it here... " " So here I am in 10th place, on one manufacturers' point for now, " said Dani Sordo. "My engine is working perfectly, so it was a good idea to stop as soon as we had the problem yesterday even if it did cost us 10 minutes. Nonetheless, I'm kicking myself for having made a mistake this morning, on a junction that we did not make a good note of on the recce. As a result we had a slow roll, but luckily the damage was very minor. Conditions were much better for the second run through the stages, with cleaner roads and less of the gravel and sand we had been forced to sweep away in the morning. I've asked for harder suspension on my Xsara, which suits me better and gives me more confidence. I think that I'm slowly beginning to understand this sort of terrain now"

FORD LEG 2 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• BP-Ford duo sets sights on podium double in Cyprus Rally
• BP-Ford World Rally Team remains on course to close the gap on the leaders of the FIA World Rally Championship after ending today's second leg of the Cyprus Rally with both drivers in podium positions. Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen lie second in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car with team- mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen third in a similar car after another day of gruelling driving in the baking mountains.
• Overnight leader Gronholm slipped from top spot this afternoon following a spin, but is just 21.8sec behind Sebastien Loeb with one day remaining of this 12th round of the 16-event series. Hirvonen holds a comfortable 56.8sec advantage in third in his identical BP Ultimate and Castrol-branded Focus RS, and a podium double at tomorrow's finish would enhance second- placed Ford's position in the manufacturers' championship.
• Today's action comprised two identical loops of four speed tests, the first two of each loop north-east of the rally base in Lemesos and the second two further west in the Troodos Mountains. The competitive distance was 116.92km. The gravel mountain tracks were again rocky while air temperatures peaked at 38?C to provide another uncomfortable day for both drivers and cars.
• Thirty-eight-year-old Gronholm started the day with a 6.4sec lead over Loeb. The Finn was fastest on the first two stages to widen his advantage to 10.2sec. Loeb was quickest on the next two and the drivers returned to service with Gronholm leading by 8.5sec. However, Gronholm spun on the second stage this afternoon to hand a 1.0sec advantage to Loeb. The Frenchman then attacked hard through the long 30.33km penultimate test to widen his lead, leaving Gronholm to ponder his afternoon tyre choice.
• "I don't know why I lost so much time in the long stage this afternoon," he said. "I think maybe I had the wrong tyres. I had different tyres to Seb but I have never tested the rubber that he used so I don't know if they would have been better or not. But tyres are not the whole reason. It must have been my driving as well. I had no rhythm and it is so slow here that normally it is so difficult for a driver to take big amounts of time from a rival. We had been so close all rally.
• "I also had a small spin on a slow corner, when I had to reverse the car. Now I have to decide what to do tomorrow. It will be hard to catch Seb, but I thought the same in Japan and it almost happened there. I hope he doesn't sleep well tonight!" added Gronholm.
• Hirvonen's eyes were firmly fixed on the pace of fourth-placed Manfred Stohl. The 26-year-old matched his pace to that of the Austrian and extended his overnight advantage from 25.6sec to almost a minute.
• "Stohl was driving hard and was close this morning so I continued to push," said Hirvonen. " On SS11, I hit a big stone so hard that it knocked the breath out of Jarmo and he couldn't read the pace notes for a couple of corners. It was good to have someone pressing me because it kept the motivation and concentration levels high. This afternoon I had a larger gap and was able to monitor his split times in the stages.
• "I couldn't match the times of Marcus and Seb and that made me realise that I can improve here. But I'm doing the second driver's job, keeping a steady pace and looking to take a good, solid result for the team. The car has run like a clock today so I've had no worries about that. Tomorrow will be rough again with many bumps and big stones, but because of my time advantage I hope I will be able to drive around the stones," he added.

CITROEN LEG 1 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• For the fourth time this season, after Sweden, Finland and Japan, Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena end leg one of a rally chasing Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen. Just as before, the Citroen duo will start tomorrow with the firm aim of making life extremely difficult for their favourite rivals. Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio did not have as straightforward a run as their team mates, but still ended the day in an excellent sixth place. This position was previously occupied by Dani Sordo and Marc Marti, until an engine problem forced them to stop in `Asinou Nikitari' (SS7).
• Leg one, which consisted of two identical loops of four stages, saw a straight fight between Seb Loeb and his usual adversary Marcus Gronholm. The Finn tried to make a break for it over the first loop of stages while the Citroen driver swept away a thick layer of loose gravel by running first on the road. No surprise there: along with slowness (an average speed of about 60kph) and heat (60 inside the car) a thick layer of loose gravel is a defining characteristic of the Rally Cyprus. On the second loop of stages that were already swept clean and so provided equal road conditions for everyone Seb and Daniel regained some of the lost time, reducing a maximum gap of 18.5 seconds to just 6.4 seconds. There is everything still to play for...
• " We're in a somewhat familiar situation" reflected Seb at final service. "We sweep the road clean, lose time, and then try to get it back. Sometimes, like today, it works and that gives us a good battle to look forward to for the rest of the rally. This event is not as exciting as the two rallies that came before it, but it is certainly extremely demanding. You have to put in a big effort in sauna-like conditions, while maintaining maximum concentration to try and keep a clean driving style. This means that on the long stages, your physical fitness can definitely play a part. Risk-taking does not really work here it's more to do with understanding the roads and choosing the correct speed for the right rhythm. "
• Returning to the fray after missing a rally, Xevi Pons wanted above all to get his bearings back. He well and truly succeeded, as was proved by his stage times and the fourth place that he held after `Kapouras Asinou' (SS2). His progress was delayed though by two setbacks. "First of all I had a spin on the third stage, which left the nose of the car pointing in the ditch " reported the Spaniard. "Carlos [Del Barrio] had to sit on the back to counterbalance the Xsara, and then I was able to drive out. Then, on the second run through `Kato Amiantos' [SS8], I hit a rock on the apex of a corner with the left rear wheel. The impact broke the suspension wishbone and connecting arm. This made the car extremely difficult to drive, so I am very happy to have got it back to service. I've got a good feeling with the car though, and my times and overall position tonight are not bad. I think there's a lot more still to come... "
• The situation was a little more complicated for Dani Sordo and Marc Marti. The reigning Junior World Champion drove a careful opening loop of stages as he felt his way into conditions that were entirely new to him. He had just started to pick up his pace (setting a fourth-fastest time on SS5) when hefelt a power loss on SS7. Dani decided to stop 22 kilometres into the 25 kilometre stage, in order not to risk damaging his engine beyond repair. The decision whether or not to re-enter the Spanish crew under the Superally regulations tomorrow will only be taken after the Kronos technicians have examined the engine thoroughly.

FORD LEG 1 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen lead the Cyprus Rally tonight after the heat and rock-strewn roads of the Mediterranean island battered many of their rivals into submission. Their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car showed no weaknesses in the gruelling
  conditions and the Finns ended the opening leg with a 6.4sec advantage. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen are third in another Focus RS after a troublefree performance.
• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "To be leading tonight was my target but the gap is obviously not big enough to relax. I will still need to push hard tomorrow to try to build on my advantage. There was a lot of loose gravel on the stages this morning and while it was better to run second on the road than first, there was little difference. There wasn't much of a clean line from Seb's car, just in the areas where he accelerated. The roads seem looser than in previous years after regrading.
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: "It was a good but difficult day. It was rough, hot and tough and mentally it's hard when you don't enjoy the stages. It's frustrating because the stages are quite slow and I've struggled a bit because I'm either driving too fast or too slow. They were slippery, which
  surprised me, and I almost had a big spin in the first stage this morning after braking too late and I can't afford that. It was only then I realised how slippery it was and that I needed to be neater."

SUBARU LEG 1 REPORT  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Chris Atkinson leads the Subaru World Rally Team challenge after the first Leg of competition in Cyprus. The Australian set a consistent pace throughout the day to finish the Leg in fifth overall. Team-mate Petter Solberg had a strong start to the day, setting one fastest stage time, however he lost time in the afternoon when gear selection problems lost him more than seven minutes. The Norwegian will restart Leg two in 11th position.

RALLY PREVIEW

CITROEN (KRONOS) RALLY PREVIEW  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Two weeks after savouring Finland's and Japan's mild southern hemisphere autumn weather, the FIA World Rally Championship marks one of those shifts in scenery for a stop in Cyprus. For the third quarter of the 2006 calendar, the competitors now face summery weather and a radical change of pace as the season's slowest stages succeed to the fastest speed-tests.
• Currently leading the Manufacturers' championship, the Kronos Citroën Total World Rally Team enters in Lemesos two 2006 Xsaras for Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena clear leaders in the Drivers' rankings - and for Dani Sordo/Marc Marti, third in that same classification. These two crews are nominated to score Manufacturers' points while, after a short break, Xevi Pons and Carlos Del Barrio use the 2005 Xsara which they competed with in Germany and Finland.
• To the tourists still visiting the island at that time of the year, Cyprus offers the face of a romantic location where the goddess of love Aphrodite was born. But for the drivers who have already experienced the Cypriot round, it is a different story. They know the scorching sun promises to beat down on the rough and rocky slopes of the Troodos Mountains. They also know that the nature of the stages twist and turn their way across the isle and pose a real challenge as the exceptionally low average speeds of the stages limit the flow of cooling air to the engine and inside the car. The engines literally cook in an oven and the crews feel like in a sauna!
• Not only the stages are rough but they are also covered in a deep top-covering of gravel which the competing cars tend to brush aside first time through, producing a much clearer line for the second run. Sébastien who will start first on the road on Friday morning will not escape from his usual road sweeping job for the 56 kilometres of the first loop. After a careful analyse of the data from the last Acropolis rally, Citroën Sport's development team has planned a test in South of Spain on rough gravel to optimise the Xsara set-up for the Cypriot terrain.
• Since its first outing in 2003 on the island, Xsara WRC has remarkably performed and showed a perfect reliability. Winners of the 2005 edition, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena are experienced enough to try and repeat that result. This experience is shared with the Kronos team, present for the fourth time in Cyprus as well, and which finished second last year with Manfred Stohl's Xsara. Dani Sordo discovers one more round this year and this does not simplify his job for Manufacturers' points scoring. However, the Junior World Champion has shown great adaptation skills so far. As Seb said in 2003 just before his very first participation in the event: "For me, the only positive point is that on this type of slow route, the knowledge of the terrain isn't so important..."
• Questions to ...
• ...Jean-Pierre Mondron and Marc Van Dalen, Kronos Racing...
• You have discovered Japan at the beginning of the month but Kronos Racing knows Cyprus quite well...
• Jean-Pierre Mondron: "It's correct: the Cyprus Rally is one of the round that Kronos knows best. Our team visited Limassol on three occasions. After two participations in 2001 and 2002 which both allowed us to learn about this tricky and demanding terrain for the cars we have been rewarded for our work last year with the second position of Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor. It was Kronos Racing's first podium finish and obviously, it will remain unforgettable for us. Since that result and with the support of Citroën Sport, Kronos has incredibly progressed. After that result in 2005, we are very motivated to try and finish one step higher in the rankings this time."
• Guy Fréquelin has decided to sign Dani Sordo to be Citroën's second driver in 2007...
• Marc Van Dalen: "We are all extremely happy for Dani. And also very proud we've participated in his progression since he joined the team in Monte Carlo 2005 for the beginning of his Junior campaign. He was only 21 years old and had already a great reputation. We quickly realised he was very fast, intelligent and incredibly mature. Highly motivated, he learns pretty fast and makes very few mistakes: his recent misadventures are the first two out of eighteen world events he has competed in with Kronos. Although, regarding Rally Japan, what I will remember is that before forgetting to re-fasten his seatbelt correctly in the penultimate special stage which caused his exclusion he perfectly fulfilled his mission. On a very tricky terrain he was discovering, he scored four valuable Manufacturers' points. I firmly believe he will be a perfect lieutenant for Sébastien in 2007."
• Xevi Pons makes his comeback here as planned. What will you ask him?
• MVD: "When Xevi and I discussed just after the finish in Finland, I've asked him to delete `rally' from his mind for a time, to proceed to a sort of mental reset. He rested and comes back in very good spiritual shape. He will start the Cyprus Rally without any pressure at a cool pace and this will help him to build his confidence back. With the 2005 Xsara, he has the perfect car for the Cypriot terrain and fight for a point scoring finish. On this event, the results depend very much on the car's reliability and sometimes it's necessary to be patient not to make a mistake. I'm convinced Xevi can do that!"
• ...to Sébastien Loeb...
• At the finish of Rally Japan, you've only talked about the fight and not about your 27th win...
• "To finish second there with eight points for the championship would have been quite good. But when Daniel and I decided not to take that into account and not to give up the fight, it was just because for us at that time the wins' record wasn't the target. Not more than the fact Japan was one of the rally we had never won before. Just the fight counted.
• On Sunday morning, Marcus [Grönholm] pushed really hard and he was catching us up. At the start of the last `real' stage, it was urgent to do something. We discussed that and had two options: either we tempt it or we let him overtake us for a tiny bit. We still had a eight- second-lead. We had been driving flat out the whole event without making a mistake and we thought we could try a bit more without going off. The only split time we were communicated was after four kilometres in the stage. It indicated we were two seconds slower than Marcus. At that pace, we wouldn't have made it. We pushed even harder and considering the level of attack I really think this is one of my favourite wins..."
• Of course, after that there was a lot going on about your record of wins...
• "I've already said that but that's the one I really wanted to achieve. In Germany, it was great to think I was sharing it with Carlos. But now having it on my own is even better. I think that moment was made stronger after this crazy duel. Those 27 wins which I clinched with the same car, are also those of the Xsara and Citroën Sport men's who have led and maintained it to that level of performance. I don't forget Kronos Racing doing a faultless job on event. For Daniel and myself, it's an important step on the road leading to our main target, the title."
• And now Cyprus....
• "I've never competed in the event at that date. Maybe, it will be a bit less hot? We can dream, can't we? In Cyprus, you need a very strong car. Shock absorbing is important for the traction and also to cope with the vertical demand on the chassis. It should not understeer at all in the slow corners and also should have a very good level of cooling. These past three years, the Xsara has done pretty well on the isle. In 2003, our positions reflected our reliability and later we added the performance to it. The one-two finish last year with the Kronos Xsara of Manfred Stohl proved the ability of the Citroën on that terrain. We are going to try to benefit from it and fight for the win again..."
• ...and to Xevi Pons.
• Did you know Cyprus before your first visit last year? How was it for you in 2005?
• "Before driving here last year, I didn't know the place. I think it's quite a nice location for holidays. Normally when I think about an island, what comes first to my mind is sea and pleasure. But I don't think the rally drivers will be on holidays next week-end... It will be more of a sauna session!
• Last year, I drove with a group N car. I can say without any doubt the event is very hard on the cars. At the start of the first stage, the gearbox broke and I started in superally five kilometres after we began. The second day, our transmission broke too and once again superally. Finally on Sunday, we set some quite good times but in the final stage we still had transmission problems. For me, a rally I wanted to forget!"
• How would you describe the Cypriot stages? Do you like this event?
• "With what happened last year, I can't say I know the stages really much... except that they are very slow with a lot of stones in the middle of the lines. One hairpin follows an other... A tough rally for the machines but also for the drivers and co-drivers. Normally I prefer fast and wide roads but a good driver should be able to perform on every kind of terrain. So Cyprus isn't my favourite rally but I will try to do my best here..."
• How did you prepare for this rally? What are your targets for the event?
• "I spent some holidays with my friends. I also focused on the physical preparation with my trainer. Unfortunately, considering the frequency of the events this month it hasn't been possible for the team to organise some tests with the Xsara WRC. So I think I will take maximum profit of the shakedown.
• My target is of course to finish the rally but on top of everything to get back in the right feeling and speed I had at the start of the season. I have a complete confidence in the Citroën's reliability and I know I can count on the usual faultless job of the Kronos team. My co-driver Carlos and I are as motivated as ever to achieve a good result."

FORD RALLY PREVIEW  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Strength and reliability the watchwords for Ford in Cyprus
• Endurance and reliability in both man and machine will come to the fore when the BP-Ford World Rally Team heads to the holiday island of Cyprus for what many regard as the toughest round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Far from enjoying the beaches and sunshine of the eastern Mediterranean, Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen will fight scorching heat and boulder-strewn tracks on the Cyprus Rally (21 - 24 September) as they try to secure the squad's fifth win of this year's campaign.
• Their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car has earned an awesome reputation in arduous conditions, including two victories in Cyprus in six years. The new-generation Focus RS earned its credentials in gruelling conditions when Gronholm won June's Acropolis Rally of Greece. BP-Ford rated that event as the toughest for several years but there is every reason to believe that the Cypriot mountain roads, parched and baked after a long, hot summer with no rain, could be every bit as demanding.
• The gravel roads high in the Troodos Mountains above the resort of Lemesos demand strength and reliability from the cars, which must withstand a heavy battering from rocks. The tracks are also incredibly twisty and speeds are lower than anywhere else in the 16-round championship. Last year's rally was won at an average of only 64.80kph, and at such speeds there is little airflow to cool hard-working engines and transmission.
• With temperatures forecast to hover around the 30C mark during the rally, it is also a tough event for drivers and co-drivers. Temperatures are much higher inside the cars so stamina and fitness levels are important, as is a regular intake of fluids to combat dehydration.
• Gronholm won in Cyprus in 2002 while Hirvonen finished fifth and sixth on his previous two appearances there. While continued development of the new Focus RS remains the primary aim for the rest of the season, BP-Ford has reduced the gap to the leaders in the manufacturers' standings to only 11 points and is keen to narrow that even further.
• "It's a hard rally physically because of the heat," said 38-year-old Gronholm. "There's not a lot of air coming into the car because the speeds are slow and by the end of a stage it's hard to breathe. Then you have to be out of the car quickly to change the tyres around for the next stage so there's no opportunity to catch your breath. And then it's straight into the next stage. So fitness is important."
• "The stages are OK but there is always the feeling that you need to drive faster. But if you start to attack there are so few straight sections that it's easy to go off the road. If the speed gets too high, then you can brake late and slide off or end up smashing a wheel on the stones. Patience is crucial and developing a good rhythm so that you flow through the endless corners is the key," he added.
• Twenty-six-year-old Hirvonen will fly to Cyprus from the team's Spanish test today to allow himself several days to acclimatise and train in the heat.
• "Cyprus is slower than other rallies and the roads are incredibly rough," he said. "It's different from other rounds and it isn't my favourite, but we need rallies like this in the championship. A world championship should have something of everything. To be successful the car must be strong and reliable and we proved in Greece that the Focus has those qualities. It will be hot and the speeds slow so it's important to be confident in the cooling package to ensure the car doesn't overheat.
• "Because speeds are relatively slow, there is always the temptation to push too hard. When that happens the car slides wide into the slippery gravel and momentum and time is lost. It's important to be patient," he added.
• Team News
• * BP-Ford will use BFGoodrich's g-Force hard wear gravel tyres and teams are allowed to nominate two tread patterns. The standard pattern is relatively compact to ensure a maximum amount of rubber is in contact with the ground for the best possible grip and traction. The grooves can be hand cut to open them if there is a lot of loose gravel on the road surface or if the tracks become muddy. It will be available in medium and hard compound. The second pattern is the g-Force gravel H2, a hard compound tyre which is bigger than the traditional option. Debuted in Greece in June and designed specifically for hard surfaces and extreme conditions, the American company has produced a new evolution following development work during the summer.
• * The team today (Friday) completes a four-day development test on the gravel roads of northern Spain. Gronholm drove for the first two days with Hirvonen taking over on Thursday and Friday. The team concentrated on perfecting car set-up for the rallies in Australia and New Zealand later in the season, but heavy rain made back-to-back comparison work difficult.
• * The M-Sport run Stobart-VK Rally Team has entered three 2004-specification Focus RS WRCs. The two cars nominated for points will be driven by Britons Matthew Wilson / Michael Orr and Argentines Luis Perez Companc and Jose Maria Volta. The third car will be in the hands of Argentines Juan Pablo Raies / Jorge Perez Companc.
• Rally Route
• The route is broadly similar to 2005 with the rally centred around the Palais des Sports service park on the northern edge of Lemesos. Most of the action is based in the Troodos Mountains north of the city although the major innovation is a short asphalt stage through Lemesos old town on Sunday afternoon to end the rally. After a ceremonial start on the seafront on Thursday evening, each of the three legs comprises a morning loop of stages repeated during the afternoon. Much of Friday's opening leg is based in the very north of the Troodos, close to the border with the Turkish part of the island. The stages show several changes to the 2005 edition. The middle leg is based further south, close to Mt Olympus and west towards the resort of Paphos. The final leg is the shortest, covering tests north-east of Lemesos in the hilly and forested Machairas area. Drivers tackle 23 stages covering 331.34km in a route of 1172.74km.

SUBARU RALLY PREVIEW  (TOP OF PAGE)

• The FIA World Rally Championship returns to the Mediterranean next week for the Cyprus Rally, round 12 of the 16-event series. The rally is based in the seaside tourist town of Limassol with stages run on rough gravel roads in the Troodos mountains in the centre of the island.
• Taking place four months later than last year, from 22-24 September at the end of the Cypriot summer, the rally is nevertheless likely to retain its traditional hot, sunny weather, with temperatures expected to reach more than 30 degrees Celsius. The combination of searing temperatures, tight mountain roads and a rocky, rutted surface has earned the rally the reputation of being the roughest event on the calendar. Reliability is even more crucial this year as the same chassis, engine and gearbox must also be used in the next event in Turkey.
• The rally's twisty roads generate low average speeds; it's expected that crews will negotiate the route at an average speed of just over 60kph, barely half the speed recorded on smooth gravel events like Rally Finland or Rally New Zealand. With less air being forced into the car, airflow to the engine and transmission is substantially reduced and teams run cooling settings at their maximum to keep temperatures at a suitable level. Driving conditions for crews too can become very uncomfortable as temperatures in the cockpit soar.
• The event runs from a single service park in the Lemesos Palais des Sports located to the north of downtown Limassol. The rally will start on Thursday 21 September with a ceremonial start along the Limassol promenade, also the venue for a new Superspecial. The rally comprises 331.34 competitive kilometres and 23 stages, five more than 2005 after the addition of the Superspecial and a new combination of speed tests used in previous years. The podium finish is scheduled for 1500hrs at the Limassol promenade on Sunday afternoon.
• Entries
• The Subaru World Rally Team will enter one Impreza WRC2006 for Petter Solberg (co-driven by Phil Mills) and one WRC2006 for Chris Atkinson (co-driven by Glenn Macneall).
• Petter has competed in Cyprus five times previously. The Norwegian has tasted success on the event; in 2003 he took his first victory of the season en route to winning the drivers' title that year.
• The 2006 rally will be Chris Atkinson's second competitive outing in Cyprus. Last year the Australian had a difficult start to the event, however set a string of top-ten fastest stage times on Legs two and three to finish the event tenth overall.
• Driver Quotes
• PETTER SOLBERG: "I like the Cyprus Rally a lot and it's normally a rally we perform well on; we won in 2003 and also led the last two years' events. In 2006 however we've got to be realistic. Of course I want to win - we all want to win, me, the team, Pirelli, everyone - but we've got to get the basics right before we can seriously challenge for victory. The team is working very hard and we're getting closer to finding a solution to the problems we've experienced in recent rallies. This week they've been in Sardinia for a six-day test and everyone at the factory is going flat-out too. We've got to keep pushing on."
• CHRIS ATKINSON: "Last year we didn't have such a good event as we had problems on the first day, but it was good to get experience of the stages on the final two Legs. The rally is really hard work for drivers and co-drivers as the roads are very rough and the stages seem to last for ages as there are so many corners. To build up stamina for these longer runs, I step-up my fitness training to do longer runs and focus more on endurance training. I'd like to get a top five position this year."
• The Car / The Challenge
• SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM SPORTING DIRECTOR, LUIS MOYA:
• "To achieve a good result in Cyprus it's crucial to have good reliability and consistency as the rally is incredibly demanding on the cars, possibly the most demanding of the entire championship so far. Historically it's claimed a number of retirements and, of course, the searing heat and dust can cause problems too. We hope we are well-prepared as a team; our drivers have trained especially for the temperatures and we've run a six-day test in Sardinia that should help us meet our performance targets in Cyprus as a team. We obviously hope to get a good result; both cars in the top six is a realistic prospect."
• SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM MANAGING DIRECTOR, RICHARD TAYLOR:
• "Cyprus marks the midway point of the second half of the season. In Germany, Finland and Japan we struggled to achieve a consistent level of car performance, but despite a gap of only two weeks between the finish of the last event and the start of Cyprus, the team has undertaken an extensive and extended test in Sardinia that will finish less than 36 hours before the start of the Cyprus recce. Our test objectives have been twofold; first, to develop a chassis set-up that gives Petter and Chris a more consistent car, and second, to finalise the most suitable specification for the unique conditions found on this event.
• Competition at the head of the field is always tough in the WRC, but over the last five events of 2007 we are looking for a significant improvement on our recent results. The drivers, engineers, technicians and our tyre partner Pirelli have been working flat out to make sure we soon add to Subaru's 47 WRC event wins."

ATKINSON SUBARU RALLY PREVIEW

• Subaru rally driver, Chris Atkinson, tackles Rally Cyprus this weekend, considered by many to be the toughest round of the World Rally Championship, hopeful of a top five result.
• The Queenslander, fresh from his best result of the season at his last start - a fourth at Rally Japan three weeks ago - knows that he will need good form and good luck to reproduce another top placing.
• It will be Atkinson’s second competitive outing in Cyprus. Last year the Australian had a difficult start to the event, but posted a string of top ten fastest stage times on Legs two and three to finish the event tenth overall.
• “To achieve a good result in Cyprus it’s crucial to have good reliability and consistency, as the rally is incredibly demanding on the cars, possibly the most demanding of the entire championship so far,” Atkinson said.
• “Last year we didn’t have such a good event as we had problems on the first day, but it was good to get experience of the stages on the final two Legs. The rally is really hard work for drivers and co-drivers as the roads are very rough and the stages seem to last for ages as there are so many corners.”
• "This event requires more luck than others so hopefully that will fall our way."
• The rally is based in the seaside tourist town of Limassol with stages run on rough gravel roads in the Troodos mountains in the centre of the island.
  Scheduled from 22-24 September, four months later than last year and at the end of the Cypriot summer, the rally is nevertheless likely to retain its traditional hot, sunny weather, with temperatures expected to reach more than 30 degrees Celsius.
• Atkinson is aware of the challenge the rally presents and has prepared himself well.
• “To build up stamina for these longer runs, I step up my fitness training to do longer runs and focus more on endurance training. I’d like to get a top five position this year.”
• It is a very important event for Atkinson and team-mate Petter Solberg, according to Subaru World Rally Team sporting director, Luis Moya.
• “Historically it’s claimed a number of retirements and, of course, the searing heat and dust can cause problems too,” Moya said.
• “We hope we are well prepared as a team; our drivers have trained especially for the temperatures and we’ve run a six-day test in Sardinia that should help us meet our performance targets in Cyprus as a team. We obviously hope to get a good result; both cars in the top six is a realistic prospect.”
• The rally’s twisty roads generate low average speeds; it’s expected that crews will negotiate the route at an average speed of just over 60kph, barely half the speed recorded on smooth gravel events like Rally Finland or Rally New Zealand. With less air being forced into the car, airflow to the engine and transmission is substantially reduced and teams run cooling settings at their maximum to keep temperatures at a suitable level. Driving conditions for crews, too, can become very uncomfortable as temperatures in the cockpit soar.
• The event runs from a single service park in the Lemesos Palais des Sports located to the north of downtown Limassol. The rally will start on Thursday 21 September with a ceremonial start along the Limassol promenade, also the venue for a new Superspecial.
• The rally comprises 331.34 competitive kilometres and 23 stages, five more than 2005 after the addition of the Superspecial and a new combination of speed tests used in previous years. The podium finish is scheduled for 1500hrs at the Limassol promenade on Sunday afternoon.

(TOP OF PAGE)

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