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2006 WRC: RALLY GREAT BRITAIN

• 2006 CHAMPION, SEBASTIEN LOEB STILL ABSENT DUE TO ARM INJURY

RALLY ROUTE

• Thursday 30 November: Ceremonial start
• Start Milennium Stadium, Cardiff 19.30
• Friday 1 December: Leg 1 Swansea - Swansea
• Start Swansea 08.30
  SS1 Port Talbot 1 17.41km 09.17
  SS2 Resolfen 1 24.49km 10.02
  SS3 Rheola 1 27.91km 10.54
  Serv A Swansea (30 mins) 12.26
  SS4 Port Talbot 2 17.41km 13.33
  SS5 Resolfen 2 24.49km 14.18
  SS6 Rheola 2 27.91km 15.10
  Serv B Swansea (45 mins) 16.27
  Finish Swansea 17.12
• Saturday 2 December: Leg 2 Swansea - Swansea
• Serv C Swansea (10 mins) 07.20
  SS7 Crychan 1 19.47km 08.50
  SS8 Epynt 1 13.76km 09.24
  SS9 Halfway 1 18.37km 10.01
  Serv D Swansea (30 mins) 11.47
  SS10 Crychan 2 19.47km 13.37
  SS11 Epynt 2 13.76km 14.11
  SS12 Halfway 2 18.37km 14.48
  SS13 Cardiff 1.10km 17.06
  Serv E Swansea (45 mins) 18.26
  Finish Swansea 19.11
• Sunday 3 December: Leg 3 Swansea - Swansea
• Serv F Swansea (10 mins) 06.40
  SS14 Brechfa 1 28.89km 07.47
  SS15 Trawscoed 1 27.11km 08.44
  Serv G Swansea (30 mins) 10.19
  SS16 Brechfa 2 28.89km 11.46
  SS17 Trawscoed 2 27.11km 12.43
  Serv H Swansea (20 mins) 14.11
  Finish Cardiff 15.41

RALLY RESULT

LEG 3 REPORT - FORD  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Ford ended its FIA World Rally Championship winning season by claiming its first Rally GB victory for 27 years today. Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen led the three-day event from start to finish through the muddy forests of south Wales to triumph by 1min 35.5sec in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. It was the seventh victory of the season for the Finnish duo, and the eighth for the BP-Ford World Rally Team - making it Ford's most successful rally season ever.
• Marcus Grönholm/Timo Rautiainen: "It's fantastic to win again and this ends a great season in perfect style. It has been a long three days in the Welsh forests but we were able to drive cautiously today on what were the most difficult stages of the event. It was made easier for me yesterday when Petter Solberg had problems and since then I have had the rally under control."
• Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen: Retired after damage sustained from accident on Leg One

LEG 3 REPORT - SUBARU (TOP OF PAGE)

• The Subaru World Rally Team finished Rally GB with a flourish, setting three fastest stage times from the day's four special stages and ending the day with both cars firmly in the points. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills were fastest on the leg and finished third, maintaining the strong finishing record they have had on this event in the past five years. In the other Impreza WRC2006, Chris Atkinson and Glenn Macneall came home in sixth position.
• Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "A difficult day, but the stage times we set were very competitive and that was encouraging. I set a very fast time on the first stage, but the puncture and spin we had in the second test made it impossible to overtake Manfred Stohl. We were quick again after that, but the gap to second place was too big, so we had to settle for third. I'm not too unhappy with that result in the last rally of the season. It is good for the team and also for Pirelli, I would like to thank them because we've had lots of good rallies together. I was enjoying the stages in the afternoon and the pace we were setting shows that next year, when things are going better for us, I think we will be very fast.
• Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "We had a steady run through this morning's two stages and consolidated sixth place, which was the main objective for today. The result isn't ideal, but it has been a really tough event and our aim was to get to the end of the rally and that's what we've done. A points finish is a good way to end a tough year and now we can turn our attentions to making the car strong for the start of the 2007 season. The team has been working incredibly hard and next year we want to reward them with wins."

LEG 3 REPORT - PEUGEOT (TOP OF PAGE)

• The OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team has completed the most successful season in the history of rallying with a sensational result at the "Wales Rally GB". Following Australia and New Zealand the OMV duo Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor reached the podium for the third time in a row and the fourth time this year with second overall place. Thus Stohl also secured fourth place in the driver WRC 2006. Norwegian teammates Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud finished the last run to the FIA World Rally Championship in eleventh place and take eighth place in the final WRC standings.
• Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor: "After everything is over you need some time to realise what just has happened. Now the joy is overwhelming, of course. A privateer right among the works teams on the podium - and it is not a dream but reality. Just like these three podium places in a row."
• Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud: "It was important to us to win back our self-confidence after the slip. And there were several times I was very content with afterwards. But unfortunately we were too far behind. Therefore it was impossible to score points. But I still can be very satisfied with this season. The highlights were, of course, the podium place in Turkey and fourth place in Finland."

LEG 1 REPORT - FORD  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Gronholm takes charge for BP-Ford on first day of Rally GB
• BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen lead Rally GB after controlling today's opening leg in south Wales. The Finns, winners of six rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship this season, were fastest on four of the six speed tests in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to build a 25.8sec advantage. Team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen were second, but retired midway through the leg on safety grounds after a heavy impact damaged their car's roll cage.
• The final round of the 16-rally series started outside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the home of Welsh rugby, last night. The action moved 70km west to the Swansea service park this morning, around which today's action was based. Drivers faced two identical loops of three classic special stages in the Vale of Neath forests covering 139.62km.
• Conditions were mild but heavy overnight rain left the already saturated gravel forest roads slippery and muddy. Both Gronholm and Hirvonen opted for BFGoodrich's soft compound tyres on their Focus RS cars, with additional cuts hand-carved into the rubber to help clear the mud.
• Gronholm and Hirvonen were first and second fastest on each of the opening three stages in Margam, Resolfen and Rheola forests, the 38-year-old double world champion leading 25-year-old Hirvonen by 19.1sec at service. Gronholm added a fourth stage win in the second pass through Resolfen to stretch his lead to 25.8sec over Petter Solberg.
• "It was normal Rally GB conditions this morning with plenty of mud, but no standing water," said Gronholm. "First through the stages was the best place to be in those conditions. We pushed hard but took no risks. This afternoon I was not in such a fighting mood, I drove a little too safely and Petter closed in. But I am where I wanted to be tonight and tomorrow I will push hard again.
• "Tomorrow's stages are shorter and tricky, especially if it rains and that seems likely. I want to keep Petter behind me but he is always fast on this rally and that won't be easy. I must wake up early and push hard if I am to stand a chance of winning," he added.
• Hirvonen hit a large stone on the penultimate corner of the opening stage and the impact damaged the roll cage of his Focus RS. Although the 25-year-old Finn returned to service with no further problems, having set second fastest time on all three tests, the BP-Ford team had to withdraw the car for safety reasons.
• "I just slid wide and went over some rocks on the outside of the corner," he said. "It was a stupid mistake because there was plenty of room. I wanted to carry on and the car was still competitive but it's a safety issue so we cannot. It's a big shame because BP-Ford was first and second and that would have been a great way to end the season."
• "BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson said: "Marcus has controlled the rally all day. Tomorrow he is running behind Petter in the start order and I'm confident he can match his pace accordingly. It was a big disappointment for Mikko. It was the first rally on which he had permission to drive as fast as he liked after doing such a great job for the team this season. He was frustrated because the car was OK to drive and competitive, but the roll cage was damaged
• News from our Rivals: Petter Solberg (Subaru) overcame a first stage problem when his car twice stopped at a hairpin to settle into fourth. He climbed to second this afternoon with a stage win and a shared fastest time with Gronholm. Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) was in the top three throughout the day, despite a puncture on stage four. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford) excelled on his first drive in a 2006-specification Focus RS to hold fourth. Team-mates Dani Sordo and Xevi Pons (both Citroen) were fifth and sixth, although Pons lost time when he spun on the second stage and punctured on the penultimate test. Chris Atkinson (Subaru) held fifth but dropped two places after his car stopped for 45sec on the final stage while Henning Solberg (Peugeot) lost five minutes after sliding into a ditch on stage three. Apart from Hirvonen, the main retirement was Andreas Aigner (Skoda) who rolled out on stage five.
• Tomorrow's Route: Tomorrow's action is based north of Swansea, on land surrounding the Epynt military ranges in the Brecon Beacon mountains. After leaving Swansea at 07.20, drivers face two identical loops of three stages, split by a lunchtime service back in the city. The day ends with a short but spectacular test inside Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. As in 2005, the stadium's sliding roof will be closed to heighten the atmosphere. The day ends at 19.11 after 104.30km of competition.

LEG 1 REPORT - SUBARU (TOP OF PAGE)

• The Subaru World Rally Team ended the opening leg of Rally GB with two cars in the points and with Petter Solberg in a strong second place. At the end of the day, the Norwegian was on top form and set two fastest stages times. On the final run through Rheola, he took eight seconds off rally leader Marcus Gronholm, setting up the prospect of a fight for the lead tomorrow. Chris Atkinson was battling for fourth position until an electrical glitch cost him time. He is still in the points in seventh position.
• SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM MANAGING DIRECTOR, RICHARD TAYLOR:
• "It's been a fairly typical Rally GB, very fast with very slippery stages. We're delighted to see Petter up in second place. He's only 25 seconds off the lead now and it should prove to be an interesting day and a half to come. We've obviously got to try to put some pressure on Marcus Gronholm, but let's see what kind of result we can get. Chris has had a slightly tougher day - he had a few problems this morning with the ‘feel' of the car and then an electrical glitch this afternoon, but it is positive that both cars are in points-scoring positions."
• PETTER SOLBERG: "I've been trying very, very hard today, let me tell you, but I think that's the only way to go if we're going to stand a chance of winning. I must say though that things are looking good and I'm feeling very positive. It's a shame we lost about 10 seconds on the first stage this morning when we stalled in a hairpin but we took a good amount of time back on the last stage and that was good fun. It's been ages since we were able to take so much time from anybody and that's very motivating. I hope we can continue like this tomorrow - I think it is going to be a very interesting day."
• CHRIS ATKINSON: "It's been a difficult day, we've been struggling to find a good set-up and haven't had enough confidence in the car to be able to push flat-out. I thought we were going to be able to finish the day in fourth place but then what looks like an electrical problem cost us about a minute and ruined that plan. Tomorrow we'll wait and see, it's difficult to predict what we'll be able to do, but we'll certainly give it our best shot."

RALLY PREVIEW

PREVIEW - FORD  (TOP OF PAGE)

• Newly-crowned FIA World Rally champions BP-Ford aim to complete the most successful season in their history by ending a long winless streak on next week's Wales Rally GB (30 November - 1 December). After securing the manufacturers' world title earlier this month for the first time since 1979, BP-Ford drivers Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen have their sights set on giving Ford a first British win since the same year.
• After two seasons when the rally was held in September, Rally GB has reclaimed its traditional winter date as the final round of the 16-event championship. And the date switch, which extends the championship into December for the first time since 1986, throws up the prospect of unpredictable wintry weather -- the single most difficult challenge faced by drivers in the hilly speed tests in the south Wales forests.
• Apart from a spectacular spectator-friendly indoor special stage in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, all 17 tests are held on tough privately-owned gravel tracks. Most roads are in regular use, either by military vehicles on the most northerly stages or by lorries transporting logs to timber yards. Accordingly large log piles are a common sight by the edge of the tracks, adding an additional hazard for drivers.
• Narrow tree-lined section high in the Vale of Neath forests contrast with vast open sections, both on the military land and where forestry work has removed the trees. If the weather is wet and gloomy, fog tends to hang between the trees in the forests while throwing a white blanket across the exposed areas on higher land. The roads are fast and flowing and invite drivers to attack, but in the wet they can be treacherously slippery and become rutted during the second pass.
• Gronholm has won six rounds and Hirvonen one as the Ford Focus RS World Rally Car powered to championship success. With both the manufacturers' and drivers' titles now settled, BP-Ford World Rally Team director Malcolm Wilson has ensured both pairings that they are free to fight for victory.
• Gronholm has plenty of experience in Britain, having started nine times and won once. "It can be an extremely difficult rally," said 38-year-old Gronholm. "When the conditions are OK then the stages are fine but when it is wet, foggy, muddy and icy -- sometimes all together -- then the roads can be really hazardous. Fog is something that we don't encounter on many rallies during the season, but you can guarantee that with the rally back at the end of the season, at some point we will have fog and that's horrible.
• "I'm looking forward to a good battle and I'm sure that Mikko will be one of my biggest challengers. He has increased his pace as the season has progressed and I know that he wants to try to prove himself in Britain so it should be good fun," added Gronholm, assured of second in the drivers' standings.
• Hirvonen has started in Britain on three occasions and the 26-year-old is relishing the opportunity to attack. "There will be no pressure through having to score points so I'm looking forward to giving it a real go and driving as fast as I can. The stages in Wales are good but it's not an easy event in which to bring the car home to the finish because of the conditions. In the dry the stages are quite simple but in December we can expect temperatures below zero with ice and fog. Fog is the worst. The roads are so fast that when it's foggy you can't see well.
• "I will try to win but I know that to do that I need to beat Marcus at least. I hope that I can match his pace and put pressure on him through the whole weekend," added Hirvonen, who is already assured of third in the drivers' championship.

PREVIEW - CITROEN - LOEB ABSENT (TOP OF PAGE)

• A `classic' for the finale: Still often called `RAC Rally' the legends are persistent Britain's FIA WRC round which has become Wales Rally GB, comes back to the traditional wintry date it had held since 1959. The rally fans can only be delighted to experience again an event where the competitors drive through the stages with full beam on, and where the night, the fog, the rain and the mud sometimes even snow constitute a unique combination if not magical.
• As for New Zealand, three-times World Champions Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena are present in Wales solely to complete the reconnaissance. For the rally, the two Kronos Total Citroen's Xsara WRCs will be placed in the hands of Spanish team-mates Xevi Pons/Carlos Del Barrio and Dani Sordo/ Marc Marti.
• Since the British round has been hosted by the home of Y Ddraig Goch, the celebrated red dragon that has proudly appeared on the flag of the Principality since the year 678, it is held entirely within a compact rectangle bordered by the Brecon Beacons National Park, and largely opened on the Bristol Channel over which fickle rain clouds often blow in.
• The Welsh stages are rather fast. In 2003, the last time for a November edition, the average speed fluctuated in between 100 and 115 km/h. The stages are essentially located on opened roads by the Forestry Commission but two are situated in the training military camp of Sennybridge, on the wild Mynydd Epynt tableland. Generally speaking, the rally route uses bedrock tracks which, if the weather is dry, have a very abrasive surface. In case of rain, the fine gravel layer on top changes into mud as slippery as ice, while softer places become rutted.
• Even more than usual on gravel, road conditions will depend on weather conditions, temperatures and quantity of rain falling down on the area. As a consequence, tyre choice will be as tricky as crucial and Citroen's knowledge in the event will of course preciously help Kronos. The Xsara WRC has shown a great performance on the past three editions of the rally. However, Citroen Sport's development team has taken profit from a test session in Great Britain to finetune its handling.
• Xevi Pons, who feels fully at ease at the moment, can lean on his good knowledge of the Welsh stages he has successively tackled with a Production car (2003), with a super 1600 (2004) and with a Xsara WRC (2005). The Catalan driver wishes to finish an excellent second half of season in a nice way, by climbing on the podium which he has missed narrowly on the three last rounds.
• The situation is slightly different for Dani Sordo who takes the start of a new event for the sixth consecutive time. The Junior World Rally Champion aims to complete a careful job in reconnaissance to be able to drive safely on the first passes through the stages, before increasing the pace on the second one. Even if it's not his number one priority, he also hopes to defend his fourth place in the Drivers' championship.

PREVIEW - SUBARU (TOP OF PAGE)

• As the Subaru World Rally Team heads to south Wales this weekend for Rally GB, it is preparing not only for the final challenge of the season, but also one of the toughest events on the calendar.
• The varied nature of the gravel stages and the traditionally unsettled Welsh weather makes the rally notoriously difficult to prepare for. Historically it has been an event where the Subaru World Rally Team has been strong. In all, Subaru has taken nine wins in the last 11 occasions on which Rally GB has been part of the WRC (it was not part of the 1996 championship).
• For the last two years Rally GB has taken place in September, but the shift back to a winter date increases the possibility of ice, fog, mud - and even snow. It has been unseasonably dry in the area in recent weeks, but rain is forecast in the days prior to the event and that could drastically alter the nature of the stages.
• The later date means less daylight hours in the UK and rally organisers have made several changes to the route to compensate for the shorter days. The first stage of the rally, Port Talbot, is a revised version of the former Margam stage. Together with Resolfen and Rheola it forms the opening loop of stages which are run twice on Friday. Resolfen features many surface changes and takes the crews high up Rhigos Mountain, so fog could be a factor during the first run through the stage on Friday morning. Rheola is no place for a mistake: it is fast, but contains some huge, intimidating drops off the side of the road. The stage also includes the fan-friendly Walters Arena section near the end.
• While leg one takes place in the undulating valleys of south Wales, the crews travel north to the fringes of the Brecon Beacons for leg two. It includes two runs through a trio of well-known tests: Crychan, Halfway and Epynt, before the day ends with the 1.1km Cardiff Super Special held inside the Millennium Stadium. An estimated 25,000 spectators will get some respite from the harsh winter weather under the stadium's retractable roof.
• The third and final leg comprises two runs through Brechfa and Trawscoed, although this year the drivers will tackle the stages in the opposite direction compared to 2005. These two long stages take place on a hard-packed surface, but while the former test is fast and features some long, cambered corners, the latter is much tighter and strewn with hairpins.
• The overall competitive distance is 356km and the first car is due onto the finish ramp inside the Millennium Stadium at 15.41 (local time) on Sunday 3 December.
• Entries
• The Subaru World Rally Team will enter two cars in Wales Rally GB, one Impreza WRC2006 for Petter Solberg (co-driven by Phil Mills) and the other for Chris Atkinson (co-driven by Glenn Macneall). The 2003 world champion has won in Wales four times and took his first World Rally Championship victory on the event with Subaru in 2002. Chris completed the Rally GB recce in 2004 to gain experience and made his competitive debut in the Welsh forests last year.
• Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "It's going to be a big attack from the first metre of the rally: it's as simple as that. It's the final round of the championship and there's nothing to lose. I hope it will be good old-fashioned Rally GB weather, with lots of mud on the stages. Those would be the best conditions for me. Our tyres have always been very competitive on the event and the team has lots of experience of how to deal with the tricky conditions. We always have a lot of support on the rally, especially with Phil [Mills] living close by, so it would be fantastic to end the year with a good finish."
• Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "I contested Rally GB for the first time last season, but with the date change I'm expecting conditions to be quite different this year. Last year there was a little bit of mud at the start, but the stages were dry on the second leg. This year there will probably be ice and fog, which will make it tricky. It won't be a completely new
  experience, because I've done winter rallies in places like Tasmania, where the conditions were similar. Some of the Rally GB stages are new, and that could level the playing field for me because the more experienced drivers will be learning the route too. We've had some good speed at certain points of the last two rallies, so now we're working on trying to find that pace for an entire event."

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