No NZ WRC rally thread created?? Why??

[Puggist]

Hi,

I'm really surprised nobody created any thread of the last WRC round(rally New-Zealand) in this section!!

It's therefore the first time the Peugeot 307 WRC and Marcus Gronholm could have "easily" won, and the 2nd position was only due to the driver's mistakes...

Even teammate Harri Rovanpera was rather performing well in the 2nd car(especially on Leg 1)

At the end of this week is the 5th round of the WRC, Cyprus, and if the reliability of the 307 is definitely found(damn power-steering! ) Marcus can win the event and Harri why not, make a podium!! :adrink:

GO ugplak:


PS: WRC is far less boring and more interesting than F1, so why making so much more thread for F1?? :disappr:

 

[n b j]

I somehow missed this thread.

I watched some of that race. I havn't seen many WRC stages this year. I used to always watch it, in the days when Gronholm and Peugeot were dominating

Still, WRC is my second fav' motorsport to watch after F1

 

[dogboy]

Cyprus WRC rally

info thanks to Ateco (I should have a job with them by now!)


This weekend (13-16 May 2004) the World Rally Championship moves to the
Mediterranean for the Rally of Cyprus, a event renown for its tough test of
man and machine alike and the Citroen team of Sébastien Loeb and Carlos
Sainz will be hoping to exploit the Citroen Xsara's reputation for strength
and durability.

The event is a big change from the last event, the fast flowing stages of
New Zealand, with tight twisting, rock strewn dusty tracks across the
Troodos Mountains.

"It's very slow and narrow. We rarely get into third gear," says Sébastien
Loeb. "You're always holding yourself back. So it's not the most exciting
of events, but a championship has to have a bit of everything. It's
therefore natural that there is an event like Cyprus!"

Technically, the nature of the stages that twist and turn their way across
the isle of Aphrodite pose a real challenge. Not only are they rough, slow
and twisty, 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, a phenomenon that changes the
picture significantly. The prevailing heat is another important
consideration, especially since the exceptionally low average speeds of the
stages limit the flow of cooling air to the engine and inside the car.

The end of April saw the Citroën team travel to Athens for a week's
testing.

"We used two test stages," says Technical Manager Jean Claude Vaucard,
"which meant we were able to prepare for Cyprus and the Acropolis Rally at
the same time. Our programme included routine work aimed at establishing
basic set-ups for the car which involved sifting through a number of
spring, shock absorber, anti roll-bar and differential mapping
combinations. In addition to that, we optimised the cooling system,
fine-tuned solutions aimed at bringing down cockpit temperatures and tested
Michelin's latest tyres."

Sébastien and Carlos took turns at the wheel during this busy week, at the
end of which the Spaniard, not one to let himself get carried away,
admitted to being particularly pleased with the work done:

"I feel we did a good job and I think we will be competitive," said Sainz
at the end of the testing

Being competitive in Cyprus effectively promises to be important. The
Mediterranean event marks the beginning of the second quarter of the
championship and the picture at the top of the provisional standings
couldn't be much closer. After four rounds, four drivers of as many
different nationalities and representing four makes are currently bunched
within just four points at the top of the Drivers' table as the series
heads for a type of terrain that has yet to be encountered this season. The
make-up of the podium on Limassol seafront on the afternoon of Sunday May
16th could well provide an initial idea of the influence the three
forthcoming 'hot and rough' sorties in Cyprus, Greece and Turkey will have
on the current pecking order…

Questions to Guy Fréquelin…

After a flying start to the season, your team was down on luck in Mexico
before treading water in New Zealand. A quarter of the way into the season,
what is your analysis of the year so far?
"It's not easy today to produce an accurate pecking order. Three of the
four rallies run to date were very specific, while Mexico was new to
everyone. That said, we have seen that two of our rivals have progressed. I
hope we have improved at the same rate, even though that wasn't
particularly evident in New Zealand where we were forced to do the chasing
because the car's set-up wasn't competitive from the start. What I can say
however is that there has been no easing up on our side after our two early
wins. On the contrary, we have a tremendous desire to do well and to
progress quickly that we have to channel effectively while taking care in
our validation of new solutions, which is no simple matter when it isn't
possible to test on site. The second quarter of the season features three
rounds that are fairly similar in style: Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. We have
yet to compete on this type of terrain which demands other strong points…"

Those strengths include reliability, which Citroën traditionally has. But
at a time when the way rallying is evolving is pushing all the teams to
work in this direction, is the Xsara good enough yet?
"We will soon find out. The next three rallies are the roughest of the
season and therefore represent a big test of reliability. I hope the Xsara
will be as strong in this domain as the level we got it to last year. But
while you need reliability to score points, it isn't sufficient in itself
to win outright, as we saw in Cyprus in 2003. We have also had to progress
in terms of performance over this extremely slow terrain, on which we are
not allowed to test. We did our pre-event work in Greece, and Carlos, who
isn't easily satisfied, was particularly pleased with the work
accomplished. I hope the way the rally unfolds reflects that optimism!"

Reliability, enhanced performance… what objectives have you set for the
team?
"As I've already said before, I would like to see both cars finish every
rally inside the top-five, with one on the podium. This clinical approach
is practically dictated by the current points scoring system in the
Manufacturers' and Drivers' championships. If you want me to make a
prediction for the Cyprus Rally, it is necessary to take into account the
fact that this will only be our second attempt at what is a very specific
rally. It would be unrealistic to say that we are going to Limassol to win.
I am counting on our enhanced performance to be up there with the leading
group. And if we succeed in that, and if an opportunity arises, I know that
Sébastien and Carlos will snap it up…"

…to Sébastien Loeb…

What does it take to have a competitive car in Cyprus?
"First of all it has to be strong. The stones hit hard! In addition to
reliability, you also need good shockabsorbing performance. There are ruts,
potholes and rocks everywhere. It is vital that the suspension is able to
soak up all these knocks vertically. The stages are also very twisty, so
the car needs to be agile. Understeer is out of the question. But you have
to be careful not to go too far the other way and end up with too much
oversteer; that will only take you into the deeper gravel that has been
swept to the sides of the road. You have to be able to re-accelerate with
the car straight and to stay on the clear line. That was our objective when
establishing the Xsara's set-up for Cyprus. Carlos worked in one direction
which seemed effective, I worked in another. And we pooled our findings…"

This time last year you were wondering what driving style you should adopt
on this sort of terrain. What do you say now?
"At the start of last year's rally, I decided to slide as little as
possible, to keep it clean… and I was so clean that I wasn't quick. I was
holding myself back too much. So I changed my approach, although still
trying to avoid long, time-consuming slides. That said, you also have to
drive as a function of the way your car handles. The Xsara's tendency to
oversteer last year has now been erased. It is much easier to keep on the
clear line and therefore maximise traction."

Talking of clear lines, you will only have Markko Märtin running ahead of
you on the first day in Cyprus. Like him, you will be sweeping the gravel
clear for those running further down the order'…
"True, but I will be a little less affected than him and marginally more
affected than Marcus. Of the four championship leaders, Petter will be in
the best position, but I don't think the advantage will be that big. The
drivers further down the order should be the best off. If they are, that
will be good for Carlos, and therefore for Citroën. And in any case, there
are two other legs. The Xsara has improved a great deal and I hope it will
allow me to run inside the top-three. My aim is a place on the podium. I
succeeded last year, but that was down to the car's reliability. This time
round, I hope that its performance will prove the decisive factor!"

…and to Carlos Sainz…

Cyprus is a twisty, rough and very slow rally that takes place in searing
heat. Do you enjoy this sort of event?
"I do. I like conditions like that. Cyprus marks the start of the toughest
phase of the championship. It's here that the Xsara's robustness will make
a difference and demonstrate its full potential."

You are generally quick on this type of rally. Why do you think that is?
"Success depends in fact on the feeling you have with the car. I have
always tended to be competitive in Cyprus. That wasn't the case last year,
simply because I wasn't one hundred per cent confident."

You seem very pleased with the way pre-Cyprus testing went. What result are
you aiming for?
"Our testing during the last week of April was aimed at understanding the
direction in which we needed to work after New Zealand, as well as
establishing set-ups for the next four rallies. OK, it won't be so hot in
Argentina as it promises to be in Cyprus or Greece, but the stages there
are still quite similar. I was effectively pleased with the way testing
went. I think we did a good job and I believe we will be competitive. As
always, my aim will be to win, or at least finish on the podium."







Facts and figures:

" Cyprus switched to summer time (GMT+3) on the last Saturday of
March. It is therefore necessary to take away one hour from the times
indicated below to obtain Continental European time (GMT+2).
" The Cyprus Rally was promoted to World Championship status in 2000
when it was called in to replace the China Rally. The 33rd running of the
event will therefore be its fifth as a WRC qualifying round.
" The rally is based in Limassol (Lemesos), the island's principal
port and second-largest city. The stages use the twisty roads that wind
their way through the Troodos Mountains.
" Total route length is 1,146.42 km, including 326.68 km divided into
18 special stages (9 different stages to be covered twice each).
" Shakedown takes place on Thursday May 13th from midday to 2:00
p.m., near the Stavrovouni Monestary, 60 km from Limassol.
" The start ceremony (Thursday May 13th, 8:30 p.m.) is held on
Limassol seafront.
" The rally's single service park is located near Limassol's new
port.
" The tyre quota in Cyprus is sixty covers per driver. In accordance
with the regulations, teams chose their two tread patterns four weeks
before the start. The make-up of drivers' individual choices (tyres are
identified by a bar-code) has to be communicated by the Monday before the
rally.
" To counter the phenomenon of hanging dust if there is no wind, the
organisers have decided to allow a gap of 3 minutes between each car.
" The programme of each of the three legs is identical: a loop of
three stages to be covered once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
" The total length of Leg 1 (Friday May 14th, 7:00 a.m. until 9:45
p.m.) is 406.40 km, of which 121.78 km will be against the clock. The day's
stages are 'Lagoudera-Spilia' (same as 2003), 'Kourdali-Asinou' (same as
2003) and 'Asinou-Agios Theodoros' (the start of one of 2003's stages).
" Saturday's leg (May 15th, 413.20 km, including 109.56 km in stages)
starts at 7:45 a.m. and finishes at 9 p.m. The stages are:
'Platres-Saittas' (same as 2002), 'Foini-Koilinia' (same as 2003) and
'Galatareia-Pentalia' (start used in 2003, the end is different).
" The final leg (total length 327.68 km, 95.34 km in stages) starts
at 5:15 a.m. and finishes at 2:14 p.m. on Sunday May 16th. The day's stages
are 'Vavatsinia-Mandra Kambiou', 'Macheras-Agioi Vavatsinias' and
'Kellaki-Foinikaria'. All three were used in 2003, although the middle part
of 'Vavatsinia-Mandra Kambiou'has been modified.
" Sébastien Loeb recceed the 2002 event and finished 3rd in 2003.
" Carlos Sainz has competed in every Cyprus Rally since the event's
promotion to WRC status: 2000 (1st), 2001 (3rd), 2002 (11th), 2003 (5th).
_________________
Andrew

 

[GTI124]

I'll have Foxtel digital from Monday, then I'll be able to watch all of the WRC action, live baby live!

I think there's a bit less talk of WRC because most peopledon't have pay TV, and don't get a chance to watch it during the day on sunday as they're out washing or driving their cars