WRC Tour de Corse Oct 12-14 talk/results

[Weasel 555]

Corsica, situated off the south-eastern coastline of France, is well known for its picturesque, unspoiled countryside, which is dominated by forests and mountains. On the abrasive asphalt road surface tyre wear is high, and the rally is amongst the most punishing of the year. The narrow roads hug the sides of the mountains, and drivers are often faced with sheer rock face on one side and steep drops on the other.
Absolute precision is crucial at this event. Similar to Catalunya, drivers need to adopt a clear racing line throughout the stage to carry speed through the corners. There is no margin for error and the concentration levels are at their highest as drivers wind their way through the ‘Rally of a Thousand Corners’. Characterised by the hard acceleration and heavy braking that comes with each twist and turn on the island roads, the g-forces generated are the highest in the championship.

The Corsican weather can be as dramatic as the landscape. Within an hour bright sunshine can give way to heavy rain as warm sea air meets the cool mountain breeze. There can be heavy localised showers – it’s not unusual for drivers to leave the service park in dry conditions and come across rain at the stage start or during the stage, so weather crews have a very important role.

The thirteenth round of the World Rally Championship is based in Ajaccio, a port on the west coast of the island. This year’s event will be busier than usual, including 16 special stages as opposed the 12 used last year, while more than half of the route will be completely new for all the crews. The rally will also venture further south than in recent years, going as far as the city of Sartene, about 50km south of Ajaccio. Legs one and two will each feature six special stages, while Sunday’s final leg includes just four.

The event kicks off with a ceremonial start at the Place Foch in Ajaccio on Thursday night, with the competitive action starting on Friday 12th October at 0838hrs with the 18.10km Monti Rossu – Pila Canale stage.

Entries

The Subaru World Rally Team has entered three Impreza WRC2007s for the thirteenth round of the 2007 World Rally Championship. The pairing of Petter Solberg and Phil Mills will drive car number seven, Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot will drive car number eight, while Xevi Pons/Xavier Amigo will be in car number 17.


Richard Taylor, Subaru World Rally Team managing director: “Corsica is a very different rally to Spain, and the nature of the stages cannot really be compared. We feel that our car will work well there and suit the surface better. We learnt quite a bit from Rally Catalunya and look forward to applying that in Corsica, where our objective will be to get all three drivers in the points.”

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: “While Corsica is the second round of this asphalt double header, we approach both rallies very differently. While on the face of it they may seem similar, the road surface in Corsica is very different to that of Spain. It is much more bumpy and rough, and the asphalt older and more abrasive. Although the roads are narrower, speeds remain high as there is a lot more grip. There is always a possibility of rain on the island so tyre choice will be critical. The nature of the event is different too as there are fewer corners, and they are all slower and shorter. There will not be any of the long corner loading on the tyres we experienced in Spain.”

Petter Solberg: “We finished the last leg in Spain by making some changes I felt made the car a lot better, so I hope we can take this knowledge to Corsica and start well. The surface is very different, but like Spain the weather can play a large part with the chance of unpredictable showers. Tyre choice will be very important, so there is more to the rally than just fine-tuning setup. But the surface in Corsica suits the car so I hope we will be fast from leg one.”

Chris Atkinson: “With Spain only last weekend, Corsica is the second asphalt rally in two weeks which is great for us. It is tough having two events next to each other, as we pretty much have one day off in two weeks, but for the last few weeks I’ve been training harder to counter this. In general October is a tough month which means I have been exercising more to build myself up. On the plus side, it means you can develop more of a rhythm between the rallies. I’m hoping for a good result and a strong end of the season.”

Xevi Pons: “I am looking forward to France next weekend and hope we can be fast there. The Impreza WRC2007 is quick on that type of surface, so I hope we can have no problems and a good weekend. Spain was a busy weekend for me with media interviews and live TV slots; it was a fantastic experience! Following that Corsica will be quieter, but I hope that means I can focus 100 per cent on my driving and deliver a good result for the team.”

www.swrt.com
http://www.crash.net/home~cid~4.htm
www.wrc.com
http://www.rallytorrents.com/ <----usually the event shows up a week later or longer

[Weasel 555]

Shakedown times:
1 Sordo-Marti Citro&#235;n C4 WRC 3'21"9
- Duval-Pivato Citro&#235;n Xsara WRC 3'21"9
3 Loeb-Elena Citro&#235;n C4 WRC 3'22"8
4 Solberg-Mills Subaru Impreza WRC 3'22"9
5 Atkinson-Pr&#233;vot Subaru Impreza WRC 3'24"9
6 Gr&#246;nholm-Rautiainen Ford Focus WRC 3'25"1
7 Mikkelsen-Floene Ford Focus WRC 3'25"7
8 Latvala-Anttila Ford Focus WRC 3'27"1
- Pons-Amigo Subaru Impreza 3'27"1
10 Hirvonen-Lehtinen Ford Focus WRC 3'27"5
11 Kopecky-Schovanek Skoda Fabia WRC 3'27"7
12 Wilson-Orr Ford Focus WRC 3'28"5
13 Solberg-Menkerud Ford Focus WRC 3'28"8
14 Stohl-Minor Citro&#235;n Xsara WRC 3'29"2
15 Bettega-Scattolin Ford Focus WRC 3'32"1
16 Bernardi-Fortin Suzuki SX4 WRC 3'33"2 <---debut of Suzuki SX4

[Weasel 555]

from rally-live.com

The shakedown runs for the Tour de Corse were held this morning on a 6.94-kilometre stretch of road situated between Capo di Feno and Saint Antoine, under a beautifully clear and sunny sky with no clouds to be seen. According to forecasts, the weather should remain the same over the next few days.

The Citroën team did not work too hard on their runs this morning, as Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo contented themselves with two passages each. Both drivers are aiming at preserving their machines which have just been through a successful Rally Catalunya last week-end.

In fact, the settings of their C4s are the same as those used in Spain: Loeb and Sordo kept them as they were since the shakedown route degraded after each contender's passage and was no longer representative of the stages to be raced during the rally itself. Comfortable with their Citroëns, they felt no need to do more than necessary.

Only two passages for Dani Sordo, but one of them turned out to be the best of the Shakedown. The Spaniard was followed by François Duval of the OMV Kronos Citroën team, who also opted for only two runs. The Belgian wished to preserve his tyres and already felt satisfied with his Xsara's handling.

Ford drivers Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen settled on no more than a single passage each. There was no real need to do more, since the Ford team had proceeded with tests in Corsica last September: the drivers simply adopted the setups elaborated at that time.

Subaru had intended on driving through the shakedown with settings similar to those used in Catalunya.

However, Petter Solberg, Chris Atkinson and Xevi Pons felt the need to request tweaks here and there, mostly on the differentials and suspensions of their Imprezas.

As a result, the Subaru drivers were not entirely satisfied with the situation. If their cars are now well-suited for the Shakedown route, it was not in itself quite representative of the special stages to be discovered during the week-end. Additional setup modifications are therefore to be expected, with the usual guessing game risks that come hand in hand with such things.

[Weasel 555]

SS1 - Cancelled !.

SS3 News:
The Arbellara-Aullene route is a complicated one consisting of a downhill section on abrasive tarmac, full of sandy and risky bends, eventually joining a wider road counting numerous corners.

Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen came in too quickly into one of those corners, lost control and went wide into the rockface with the back end of his car. A resulting broken wheel forced him to stop on the stage as he retired for the day.

Marcus Grönholm was fastest on this very disputed stage, taking 15'34"6 to race his works Ford Focus RS from one end to the other. "The first part of the stage was very bumpy," he noted. "I drove slowly but then it steadied out."

The two Citroën team drivers came next, with Sébastien Loeb and Dani Sordo marking identical times of 15'34"7 – only 0'00'1 slower than Grönholm.

Loeb has been keeping notes on his championship rival: "We are OK for the downhill, but I think Grönholm is quicker on the uphill." Loeb was seen closely observing his front left wheel and suspension at the stage's end.

Sordo might have been able to do better than his teammate were it not for a distraction along the way. "After I saw Mikko on the road I lost concentration and it was hard to get back in the rhythm," he explained.

Petter Solberg took fourth place a full 15.2 seconds later, fighting with the handling of his works Subaru.

"I am trying everything I can," he said, admitting that his car was suffering from "too much understeer."

Also unhappy with his results, OMV Kronos Citroën driver François Duval took fifth position a few seconds later. "The results of the stage are not good," the Belgian determined.

Chris Atkinson was the first driver just over the 20-second delay mark, taking sixth place. The Australian also had issues with his official Subaru Impreza. "I had a brake problem at the start of the stage, I couldn't go very fast," he reported. "It got better onwards."

Next in line, Jari-Matti Latvala was having similar problems with his Stobart Ford Focus: "I had brake vibration through the stage, which made things difficult for me."

Xevi Pons took an extra 32.7 seconds to cross the line with woes that teammate Petter Solberg understands well. "There is a lot of understeering," said eighth-placed Pons. "At the moment I am not confident with the car."

SS3 Overall:

1.Gronholm - Ford - 24'49"4
2.Sordo - C4 - 24'52"3
3.Loeb - C4 - 24'53"5
4.Duval - Xsara - 25'16"3
5.P.Solberg - Subaru - 25'17"1
6.Atkinson - Subaru - 25'18"9
7.Latvala - Ford - 25'22"8
8.Pons - Subaru - 25'38"3
9.Kopecky - Skoda - 26'03"2
10.Bettega - Ford - 26'05"0

12.Bernardi - SX4 - 26'28"5 (New WRC Suzuki)

[Weasel 555]

from rally-live:

1.Loeb - C4 - 59'29"7
2.Gronholm - Ford - 59'34"5
3.Sordo - C4 - 59'48"2
4.Duval - Xsara - 1h00'27"5
5.P.Solberg - Subaru - 1h00'32"8
6.Latvala - Ford - 1h00'36"1
7.Atkinson - Subaru - 1h00'50"3
8.Pons - Subaru - 1h01'27"7
9.Kopecky - Skoda - 1h02'17"1
10.H.Solberg - Ford - 1h03'05"4

[wrxlude]

Thanks for the update, mate!

[Weasel 555]

Thanks for the update, mate!

thanks for replying , figuring i was gonna be talking to myself in the thread again

[Weasel 555]

from rally-live SS6 end of day news:

Very dark clouds were moving in over the area where the downhill and bumpy tarmac run named Arbellara-Aullene is situated. Luckily, the WRC drivers made their way through before droplets began to hit the sandy roadsides.

Sébastien Loeb did very well by racing his Citroën C4 across the length of the route in 15'25"1, fast enough to add a small buffer of time to his overall lead. "We did not start the day very well, Marcus was a lot faster than us," said Loeb. "Now we are faster. I am not one to take risks but I am pushing."

Ford's Marcus Grönholm was not as agile at the wheel of his Focus, losing 4.7 seconds on his Championship rival. "We have lost a little time in the last two stages. Sébastien is pushing and pushing," the Finn recognised, nonetheless feeling a burst of optimism for the next leg: "Tomorrow is a new start."

Dani Sordo was unable to keep pace with his stage-winning Citroën teammate, taking third place with an additional 8.9 seconds to complete his run. "It was not possible for me to be ahead of Grönholm," admitted the Spaniard. "Tomorrow we will try again."

The OMV Kronos Citroën team's François Duval ended the day by equaling his best position so far on this rally: fourth place, 15.1 seconds behind the stage winner.

Petter Solberg came next in fifth position after discovering yet another item to adjust on his works Subaru Impreza WRC. "I lost six to eight seconds in the stage before, I had a problem with the launch control," he explained. "I hope tomorrow I will be in a better position."

Stobart Ford's Jarri-Matti Latvala had a good day, finishing all his attempts around the mid top ten. Taking sixth on this route nearly 20 seconds further down, Latvala was eyeing the Subaru pointing ahead of him in the general rankings: "Tomorrow there will be the temptation to catch up with Solberg, but I think we have to be sensible."

Positions seven and eight went to Chris Atkinson and Xevi Pons, with both Subaru drivers facing their own limits. "I am struggling with confidence and grip," shared Atkinson. "I have to work something out."

[WRXelent]

Seems like every rally Subaru (Petter) has yet another excuse, sounds just like a broken record anymore. Oh well, still keeping some hope of a place on the podium. Thanks for the updates!

[SD_GR]

A podium in Corsica is going to be difficult, the Impreza is a van. I'd assume the team are no longer doing any development work on this chassis either in order to sort the next chassis.

Last decade I'd have never thought Gronholm would be quick on tarmac. I think the weather is actually playing into Loeb's hand though.

[Weasel 555]

Overall as of SS9:

1.Loeb - C4 - 1h40'11"7
2.Gronholm - Ford - 1h40'24"3
3.Sordo - C4 - 1h40'59"7
4.Duval - Xsara - 1h41'38"8
5.Latvala - Ford - 1h42'05"7
6.P.Solberg - Subaru - 1h42'07"0
7.Atkinson - Subaru - 1h42'24"7
8.Pons - Subaru - 1h43'24"8
9.Kopecky - Skoda - 1h44'36"4
10.H.Solberg - Ford - 1h45'39"8

[Weasel 555]

The difficult Calcatoggio-Plage du Liamone downhill stage was quite hard on drivers, cars, brakes and tyres during the first morning run - and things have not changed for this afternoon's second passage. While a few problems did occur, a certain driver on his national event brought a cheer from the spectators.

After accomplishing a fastest time of 17'48"3 on this tortuous route, Citro&#235;n driver S&#233;bastien Loeb was greeted by his home crowd's applause upon disembarking from his machine at the stage's end. The reason for such satisfaction emanating from the fans came from the time gap between Loeb and Marcus Gr&#246;nholm on this test: 5.1 seconds.

"I feel very well with the car," expressed Loeb. "I made a good tyre choice and I tried to go faster."

Gr&#246;nholm was for his part quite aghast at not being able to do more in order to catch up to the dominant Frenchman. "Incredible - I cannot go faster," the works Ford driver stated, mystified.

Dani Sordo came next, bringing his official Citro&#235;n C4 into third position. "It is better than the first run, the car is better to drive," said the Spaniard.

Stobart Ford driver Jarri-Matti Latvala is continuing with his improved pace today, claiming fourth place 13.

1 seconds down from the stage leader and feeling that his driving is presently on the limit: "I drove as fast as I could. I cannot drive any faster without taking any risks."

Petter Solberg brought his understeering works Subaru into fifth position ahead of Ford's Mikko Hirvonen. A pair of troubled Subaru team Imprezas came next.

Seventh-placed Chris Atkinson went through a short scare on this route when he lost control on one occasion. "It was like driving on gravel at the end, we spun around the end of the stage," he reported. "We suffered from understeer."

Xevi Pons also had his share of issues aboard his Subaru: "It was very slippery and there was not a lot of grip."

Fran&#231;ois Duval stopped very briefly along the way as his OMV Kronos Citro&#235;n Xsara developped gearbox and brake problems. Although he lost nearly a half-minute of precious time, Duval recuperated quickly enough to remain in the top ten by taking ninth place despite switching to manual gear.

Overall as of SS12

1.Loeb - C4 - 2h20'58"6
2.Gronholm - Ford - 2h21'26"1
3.Sordo - C4 - 2h21'59"2
4.Duval - Xsara - 2h23'20"1
5.Latvala - Ford - 2h23'22"5
6.P.Solberg - Subaru - 2h23'29"5
7.Atkinson - Subaru - 2h23'47"9
8.Pons - Subaru - 2h25'06"8
9.Kopecky - Skoda - 2h26'51"5
10.H.Solberg - Ford - 2h28'06"2

[mbs627]

If Marcus ends this season on top and retires that way, I will know that all is good with the world.

[WRXelent]

I'm in the "Anybody but Loeb" catagory. I like Marcus and am amazed at how good Loeb has been, and is, at rallying. If Marcus doesn't win it all I am kind of glad Loeb had to go all out to win (championship) it, instead of just cruising the last couple of rallies. I just wish Petter was in the mix too.

[Weasel 555]

For the third consecutive year, S&#233;bastien Loeb has achieved overall victory at the conclusion of his national event, Rallye de France – Tour de Corse. The Frenchman also succeeded in diminishing the Championship points advantage held by his rival, Marcus Gr&#246;nholm, whose safety margin is no longer comfortable.

The last stage itself belongs to Dani Sordo however, after the Spaniard made his way across the route and recording a fastest time of 18'56"0. "I am very happy with the car and tyres today," declared the works Citro&#235;n driver.

Mikko Hirvonen drove into second place under SupeRally rules with the objective of gaining knowledge and information for next year's edition. "It was good for my notes," said the Ford team member. "The car is working and we had a good drive."

Stobart Ford's tarmac-learning Jari-Matti Latvala did extremely well by reaching third place and, more importantly, securing a final position ahead of Petter Solberg. "This is the best rally in my career," he proudly announced. "We were battling in there trying to push hard and Petter was really fast. I'm really happy."

Ford team driver Marcus Gr&#246;nholm took fourth place on this final stage, very aware that his Championship lead has just gotten a bit smaller after losing two points to rival Loeb: the Frenchman added 10 to his account while the Finn took 8.

"It is only two points," Gr&#246;nholm said philosophically. "I did not have a chance to win today. It's good to be second, I'm still leading (the championship)."

S&#233;bastien Loeb confidently brought his Citro&#235;n team C4 into fifth position 11.2 seconds behind the stage winner yet obtaining another overall victory in Corsica for the event's 51st edition. "For me I could not do better than winning; I am happy with the results," he said.

Petter Solberg lost time to his rally rival Latvala, but he tied for fifth place with S&#233;bastien Loeb. "I had massive vibration through the stage, so we couldn't go faster," reported the Subaru team driver, who had his share of little problems with the Impreza WRC2007. "We had a good rally, but that's how it is sometimes."

His Subaru teammates Chris Atkinson and Xevi Pons followed next in positions seven and eight. Alessandro Bettaga took ninth position in a Stobart Ford-prepared Focus, doing very well for his first rally at the wheel of a WRC car.

.............................................


Sure is definitely ending up with a tight race for the drivers championship

1.Loeb - C4 - 3h28'31"5
2.Gronholm - Ford - 3h28'55"2
3.Sordo - C4 - 3h29'15"8
4.Latvala - Ford - 3h31'02"0
5.P.Solberg - Subaru - 3h31'13"6
6.Atkinson - Subaru - 3h32'25"3
7.Kopecky - Skoda - 3h36'34"4
8.Pons - Subaru - 3h38'34"4
9.H.Solberg - Ford - 3h38'43"7
10.Sola Del Barrio - Pug 207 - 3h46'29"1

31.Bernardi - Suzuki SX4 - 4h01'58"7 (1st ever WRC event for the SX4)

Drivers Championship:
1.Gronholm - 104
2.Loeb - 100
3.Hirvonen - 74
4.Sordo - 45
5.P.Solberg - 38

Manufacturers Championship:
1.Ford - 179
2.Citroen - 147
3.Subaru - 71

3 Events left till the '07 season wraps up:
Japan-Oct 26-28
Ireland-Nov 16-18
England-Nov 30-Dec2