Rally Japan WRC (P) - 31 Oct-2 Nov 08

Patrick Pivato injury update

Posted: November 6, 2008 5:02 PM

Patrick Pivato, co-driver to François Duval, has undergone a series of successful operations in Sapporo, Japan to stem internal bleeding caused by an accident on stage 6 of Rally Japan last Friday and last night was brought out of his medically induced coma.

The Frenchman awoke with a smile of recognition for his wife and brother-in-law who travelled to Japan last week to be by his side. He spent yesterday chatting with his family and Duval, who stayed out in Sapporo to be with his team-mate.

Doctors in Higashi Tokushukai hospital are happy with his progress and the plan is to keep him under observation for the next 36 hours. After this observation period a decision will be made as to when he will return to France for a final operation on his fractured pelvis and broken right tibia.

Doctors are confident he will be able to fly back on either Friday 7 or Saturday 8 November when he will be transported to a hospital in Lyon for the final operation.

Malcolm Wilson, director of both the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team, for whom Pivato was competing, and BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, paid tribute to the 'magnificent support' from the WRC community following the accident when Duval's Focus RS World Rally Car hit a steel post supporting a roadside barrier.

"The severity of this accident shocked me and there were times during last Friday night when we feared the worst. Thankfully Patrick is on the road to recovery. So on behalf of Stobart Motorsport, Ford Motor Company and his family and friends, now seems the right time to pass on my heartfelt thanks to everyone who gave their assistance during what was a difficult period," he said.

"Unfortunately there are too many people to mention individually. But Rally Japan's medical staff and rescue teams at the scene of the accident did a really professional job in extricating Patrick from the car and transferring him to hospital in Sapporo. The skill of the doctors and surgeons there saved his life and for that we are truly grateful.

"During the Friday night it became apparent that the lack of the rare A- blood in Sapporo could become a real concern during surgery. My thanks go to those people from teams, organisations and the media who responded to an SOS appeal to donate blood from that group during the night. Further volunteers came forward the following day to ensure medical staff had sufficient blood to ease their fears.

"And my thanks must also go to fellow competitors who gave such valuable assistance at the accident scene. Particular praise should go to Denis Giraudet, a good friend of Patrick's. He took the decision to accompany Patrick to hospital in the ambulance and helicopter and remained with him until emergency surgery began.

"He left to tackle the final two stages at Sapporo Dome before returning to the hospital, where he spent much of the night alerting colleagues by telephone of the need for blood. He remained in close contact with Patrick's wife, Agnes, before returning to the team's hotel and finalising her travel arrangements to Sapporo. He had little more than one hour's sleep before restarting the rally.

"I was genuinely moved by the wonderful spirit and camaraderie shown by the WRC community to one of its colleagues. On the special stages competition is rightfully fierce, but last weekend the 'family' nature of the WRC came to the fore when rivalries were thrown aside in the desire to help one of its own.

"Once again my thanks go to everyone who helped, offered support or who has enquired as to Patrick's welfare and I'm looking forward to the day when we can welcome him back to a WRC event," said Wilson.

P-WRC Round up

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:50 PM

P-WRC Japan Round-up

Munchi’s farewell 08 season in Sapporo

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:48 PM

The Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team have completed their final event for the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship season with Federico Villagra/Jorge Pérez Companc finishing one spot outside a points’ finish in ninth place.  

Unfortunately team-mates Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud had a rally to forget after retiring from the event when they had a small off this morning. The duo slid into a ditch and were literally stuck in the mud forcing them to retire.  

Villagra got off to an unfortunate start when he lost over two and a half minutes with a broken drive shaft on stage 1 causing him to crawl through the next two stages with caution. Fortunately his Munchi’s team of technicians did a fantastic job in repairing his car changing both the drive shaft, and gearbox as a precaution, within the given service time limit.  

Solberg’s rally began slowly on Friday as he battled to find the right setup to accompany his driving style on these all-new Japanese stages. Some changes to soften the setup of his Munchi’s Ford Focus RS WRC during service seemed to change the Norwegian’s pace and this eventuated into a fastest time on stage 14 on Saturday morning.  

Unfortunately the Munchi’s man’s mission turned sour on Saturday when he picked up a puncture on stage 17 after a heavy impact with a rut just 10 kilometres from the end of the test. After driving on the puncture for seven kilometresthe car’s rear left trailing arm then broke forcing the Norwegian to retire from the day at the stage end.  

Day three was a similar story when 12 kilometres into the 27.76 kilometre Sikot 1 stage he misjudged the braking point for a medium left and careered straight into a ditch, in the treacherous conditions, becoming stuck and retiring from the event.    

Rally Japan 2008 was a new location and new stages for everybody and this threw into the mix various factors which saw several top WRC crews fall by the wayside. The most significant factor was road condition which was amazingly rough and rutted thanks to torrential rain which hammered the Sapporo region especially over today’s final leg of competition.  

This threw up the test to the Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyre which withheld the demanding conditions as only a limited amount of punctures were reported over the course of the rally.  

It has been a fine year for the Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team which has seen some fantastic performances from Villagra, Solberg and team co-owner Luis Pérez Companc who made his final ever WRC appearance at Rally Finland behind the wheel of a Munchi’s Focus RS.  

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Federico Villagra said: “It has been a good rally to finish our 2008 WRC season with but it is slightly disappointing we finished just one place away from the points. On stage 2 of the rally the car started moving around a lot and I knew there was a problem so I had to back off a lot not to crash the car off the road. We found a broken drive shaft at the end of the stage which meant I had to drive carefully through to service but unfortunately this meant more time lost. The team did a great job in service and they changed the drive shaft and the gear box without going more than the 30 minutes allowed for midday service. The conditions this weekend were some of the trickiest I have ever experienced and the ruts caused by the rain were unbelievable. These ruts also meant new small jumps on the stages which weren’t originally in our notes. We had a small intercom problem on Saturday when I found it hard to hear Jorge but apart from this everything else went well. I am happy with how the year has been and it has been great fun driving with the Munchi’s team and having Jorge as my co-driver.”  

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Henning Solberg said: “Everything felt wrong on Friday morning and I just couldn’t drive the car at all. In service we changed a lot of things and made the car a lot softer and this helped a lot but we only did one stage in the afternoon because of Francois’ accident so on Saturday I pushed hard to try and move up the leaderboard. The conditions were very slippery and the problem was the mud which caused big ruts especially during the second pass of stages. After service on Saturday we made a few small changes and things were feeling good but stage 17 was just crazy with the ruts and I got a puncture about 10 kilometres from the end of the stage. Then with just three kilometres to go we broke the rear suspension and had to retire at the end of the stage. Today it was just so slippery. Where we went off I was braking maybe 100 metres before the corner and we just went straight on at a medium left hander and got bogged in the mud. This just hasn’t been my rally.”

Nippon points for Wilson and Stobart

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:43 PM

Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin have scored a points’ finish on the penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship by finishing Rally Japan in seventh position today. The 21-year-old driver battled some treacherous conditions to post his sixth points’ finish for the 2008 season.  

Unfortunately François Duval/Patrick Pivato retired from the event after an accident on stage 6 saw the French co-driver airlifted to Higashi Tokushukai hospital in Sapporo with a fractured pelvis and fractured tibia. He currently remains in a stable but critical condition with Doctors reporting continued positive improvement in his progress.  

Organisers and event medical staff did a fantastic job to arrive speedily on the scene and work efficiently to help the Frenchman out of his car after he became trapped in it for several minutes after the accident. Duval was uninjured in the accident and accompanied his navigator to the hospital.   

The accident occurred 4.8 kilometres into stage six on a fast muddy section of road when Duval slid wide into a crash barrier heavily impacting a steel support pole on the co-driver’s door. First on the scene were team-mates Wilson and Martin who aided Duval in alerting safety officials.  

Wilson fluctuated throughout the event and by the end of day 2 was perched nicely in fifth despite some time-loss due to a lack of rhythm with his pacenotes on these brand new stages to the WRC. Today saw the young Brit in a fierce battle with the two Suzuki drivers but unfortunately slipped back to seventh on what has been one of the most demanding day’s rallying in recent years.  

The result sees Wilson pick up two valuable driver points which launches him back into the top-10 in the Drivers’ Championship standings heading into his home, and final event of the season, Wales Rally GB.  

Weather conditions varied throughout the event with Saturday being the pick of the crop offering blue skies and relatively dry roads. Today unfortunately saw the worst of this event’s conditions as it started raining heavily at start of stage 22 and continued falling until the final stage this morning making conditions extremely difficult for this afternoon’s final four stages.  

The roads have been quite consistent concerning attrition levels and the soft surface saw some big ruts forming especially during the second pass of most special stages. This cost several crews a big price with many top WRC competitors falling victim to the slippery stages generally ran to the south east of Rally HQ at the Sapporo Dome.  

The conditions yet again forced a big test on the Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyre and it passed with flying colours as only a fraction of the field succumbed to punctures over the tough road surface. The next event for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team is their home event and the final round of the year; Wales Rally GB in December.      

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Matthew Wilson said:
“The first day went really well for us and I really enjoyed it apart from the incident with François. I think everyone in the whole WRC community did an amazing job to help and support the situation and I hope Patrick gets well soon and will be back on the rallying scene in no time. Days two and three were a lot more difficult for me and I really struggled in the conditions which were some of the toughest and most demanding I have ever experienced. When I knew I was slipping out of the fight with PG and Toni this afternoon I backed off a lot to preserve the car and just cruised to the end to make sure I secured the points and move up to 10th in the championship.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“This has been one of the most difficult rallies for the Stobart team under the circumstances. Patrick has been making steady progress since the difficulties he went through on Friday evening in hospital. I must say a big thank you to everybody in the WRC community for their support and help with the situation, it has really shown the true spirit and camaraderie within this amazing championship. Matthew’s performance on Friday was one of his best legs to-date. Unfortunately arriving first on the scene to François and Patrick’s accident made it difficult for him over the last two days but considering the condition of the stages it was a fantastic achievement to finish seventh. It has also given him some great experience on a rally that has thrown all of the elements at competitors.”  

Stobart Group CEO Andrew Tinkler said:
“It has been another solid performance from Matthew and this will fill him with confidence ahead of his home event next month. I was saddened to hear of François and Patrick’s accident on Friday and I hope that Patrick has a speedy recovery from the injuries he sustained. This result is also another strong one for the Stobart team as we head to Wales Rally GB next month for our home event and the final WRC round this season.” 

Atkinson fourth after Rally Japan shows its dark side on final day

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:38 PM

The final day of Rally Japan was by far the most treacherous as torrential rain hit the stages, creating rivers that flooded the roads, huge ruts in the thick mud that bounced rally cars left and right and very little traction. Through this, Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot performed solidly to clinch fourth position overall, whilst teammates Petter Solberg and Phil Mills won a further three stages on their comeback after yesterday’s retirement.

“Today has been especially challenging with some of the most difficult conditions we’ve seen on a WRC event for many years” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “We have won four stages this weekend on home soil, and clearly demonstrated a good step forward in performance. This will stand us in good stead as we head for the final round of the championship in GB at the start of December.”

As the skies clouded, the light faded in the already dark stages. The deluge caused the windscreens of many cars to fog up, significantly reducing visibility and adding to the already perilous nature of the stages.

Atkinson survived the conditions unscathed, consolidating his fourth position overall. With a comfortable gap behind and too far behind Loeb to fight for third, he was nevertheless unable to drop his guard for even a moment as the conditions waited to strike. His result means he retains fourth position overall in the championship standings with one round to go.

“The conditions were very tricky today and we just focused on maintaining our place” said Chris Atkinson. “There was no need to push for position; we had two minutes behind us and a minute and a half in front after the morning so there was no need to do anything silly, but it was still so easy to make a mistake as it’s so slippery with full rain and mud. The top three had no problems, so that’s the best we could do. It’s been a tricky weekend for everyone as the conditions were really difficult with a lot of rain and a lot of water standing in the road, and even at the pace we were going it was difficult to keep the car on the road. We were aquaplaning everywhere so it’s good to get through and to finish the rally.”

After a fantastic effort by the team to repair the number five Impreza overnight, Solberg and Mills restarted in style with their second stage victory on this rally. The duo were unfortunate to suffer a cracked exhaust manifold in stage 23 which robbed them of engine power on the longest test of the day, but a great performance by the team repaired the car during the midday service to allow the duo to take a double win on the last two stages to propel themselves to eighth position.

“I must say that we and Subaru have done a very good job and I’m very happy with my performance on Saturday and Sunday. We have improved the speed quite a lot and we have many stage wins and that’s very important” said Petter Solberg. “There really are a lot of good things to come from this rally and we need to continue to work with the car from exactly where it is now.

“Today was so difficult in the conditions. We had a few problems like a puncture and the screen fully blocked with fog on the long stage in the morning [SS23] so I think we could have won a few more stages actually. I’ve enjoyed coming back again today, and the team did a very good job to get the car ready and I’m very proud of them. If I’m fourth, or fifth, or sixth, for me, honestly it doesn’t matter. The main thing here is that we get the car faster and get back to the top and to fight for a win again. That’s absolutely the main thing.”

CITROEN PRESS RELEASE

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:36 PM

CITROEN REPORT

Japanese joy as Hirvonen and Latvala claim 1-2 for Ford

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:33 PM

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a magnificent one-two result with the record-breaking Focus RS World Rally Car in Rally Japan today. Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen led from the opening speed test on Friday morning to take their third victory of the FIA World Rally Championship season. Team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila completed the team's domination of the 14th and penultimate round of the series by finishing second, 31.1sec behind their fellow countrymen.

It was the squad's third formation finish of the season following one-two triumphs in Sweden and Turkey. The result also means the battle for the manufacturers' title, which Ford is hoping to clinch for a third consecutive year, will go to the final round in Great Britain next month. The team is 11 points behind the leaders with a maximum 18 at stake.

Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, hosted the rally which had a new base at the ultra-modern Sapporo Dome sports stadium. The bulk of the action took place over gravel forest roads east and south of the city, which varied from twisty and narrow tracks on the opening day to wider and faster roads during the final two legs. Four special stages were cancelled during the three-day event as a result of snow, which caused roads to deteriorate to an unsafe level, and an accident.

Conditions throughout were extremely demanding. Pre-event rain and snow meant the soft surface quickly cut up to leave massive ruts. Torrential rain today ensured standing water and aquaplaning were a constant hazard, as well as ice patches after a cold night. After the cancellations drivers tackled 25 stages covering 310.61km.

Hirvonen powered into the lead on the opening stage and was never headed. The 28-year-old built up a comfortable advantage over Latvala during Friday's opening leg. With no pressure from behind, Ford's Finns continued to dominate during the second day and maintained their positions during today's treacherous conditions. Hirvonen won 11 stages to secure his third win of the campaign while 23-year-old Latvala claimed three victories en route to his first podium since June.

"I'm delighted with the win but at the same time disappointed that my hopes of the drivers' title are over," said Hirvonen. "We did all we could but it wasn't enough to prevent Sébastien Loeb winning the title, which he richly deserves, and I congratulate him. Conditions were so changeable that it was a difficult and nervewracking weekend and I never had the luxury of being able to ease off. I didn't want to take risks in the wet weather today. I was aquaplaning many times and had several lucky escapes.

"Although the drivers' championship is out of reach we will go to the final round with the manufacturers' title still possible and my thoughts will now focus on that," he added.

Latvala was delighted to score a podium for the first time since Rally of Turkey. "It feels fantastic to take a top three finish on gravel again. After a bad August this is my third strong rally and I really wanted this result. The conditions were probably the worst I've seen and I can't explain how much water there was in the forests. We seemed to be aquaplaning all the time," he said.

"The difficult rallies really suit the Focus RS WRC, which is incredibly strong. We've had no problems during the weekend and when you have to attack in the rough and tough conditions then it's encouraging to know that the car excels on that type of road," added Latvala.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson described the outcome as a 'dream team result'. "It has been a difficult weekend for all of us involved with the Ford team after the injuries to Patrick Pivato on Friday. Full credit to both drivers for delivering incredible performances in what were probably the most changeable road conditions we've seen on a rally. It keeps our championship hopes alive and the same top three on the final round would give us the crown again," he said.

Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans said: "To see a Ford 1-2 in such an arduous event is a tribute to man and machine. The team worked tirelessly to bring the result we needed and will send us to Rally GB with a chance to wrestle a third consecutive world manufacturers' title. We vowed to fight right to the end of the season and that positive attitude has put us back into contention for the crown."

Next round
The season closes with the traditional final round in Britain next month. The all-gravel Rally GB is based in Cardiff on 4 - 7 December.

Results

Posted: November 2, 2008 6:31 PM

Final positions
1.  M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen               FIN             Ford Focus RS   3hr 25min 03.0sec
2.  J-M Latvala/M Anttila               FIN             Ford Focus RS   3hr 25min 34.1sec
3.  S Loeb/D Elena                      FRA             Citroen C4              3hr 27min 33.6sec
4.  C Atkinson/S Prévot         AUS             Subaru Impreza  3hr 28min 45.4sec
5.  P-G Andersson/J Andersson   SWE             Suzuki SX4              3hr 30min 15.9sec
6.  T Gardemeister/T Tuominen           FIN             Suzuki SX4              3hr 31min 12.4sec
7.  M Wilson/S Martin           GBR             Ford Focus RS   3hr 32min 08.3sec
8.  P Solberg/P Mills                   NOR             Subaru Impreza  3hr 38min 22.9sec
9.  F Villagra/J Perez Companc  ARG             Ford Focus RS   3hr 40min 43.8sec
10 D Sordo/M Marti                      ESP             Citroen C4              3hr 42min 11.5sec

Full Results & News:

www.wrc.com

Rally Japan

• 2008 World Rally Championship

Statement from Stobart Motorsport regarding Patrick Pivato, co-driver to François Duval

Posted: November 1, 2008 12:02 PM

Last night Patrick Pivato, co-driver to François Duval, underwent surgery to repair a fractured right pelvis and tibia after a high speed accident on stage 6 of Rally Japan yesterday. During the operation some internal bleeding was discovered and the Frenchman was swiftly re-operated on by surgeons at Higashi Tokushukai hospital and placed in intensive care.  

The operation to halt the internal bleeding concluded at 01:00 this morning and since then Pivato has made steady improvements over the course of the morning however still remains in a stable but critical condition. Progress reports on Pivato will be issued when available.  

No further comment will be made by the team at this time.

 

Revamped Rally Japan poses new questions for Ford squad

Posted: October 27, 2008 6:16 PM

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team steps into the unknown next week when it journeys to the Land of the Rising Sun for a new-look Rally Japan. This penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship is firmly established in the series. However, a new host city means that for the second time this season drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will let loose their Focus RS World Rally Cars on unknown roads.

After four years in Obihiro, the rally moves west to Sapporo in the central region of Hokkaido, the country's most northerly island. It is based at the 43,000-capacity Sapporo Dome, a modern baseball and soccer stadium that hosted the 2002 World Cup. The dome also hosts five asphalt speed tests, the first time in WRC history that two cars run simultaneously on a super special stage in a covered arena.

All the special stages are new to the WRC but most of the countryside tests have been used for many years in Japan's national championship. Most are based on medium to high-speed gravel forest roads and organisers describe them as flowing with good visibility.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi tyre engineer George Black visited the stages after last year's rally and found them to be undulating.
"Most are quite hilly and although they are not high, they are not really flat. They are reasonably quick but narrow and some are very loose. The surface is mostly a pebble type of gravel rather than quarried gravel, although some are compacted, almost like cobblestones, and quite slippery. One of the biggest features will be the carpet of leaves on the surface. All the roads were leaf covered last year and very wet," he said.

Reigning manufacturers' world champion BP Ford Abu Dhabi lies second in the 2008 standings and must realistically take maximum points to ensure the title fight goes to the final round in Britain in December. Similarly, Hirvonen holds second in the drivers' table and victory is essential. However, even a maximum 10-point haul may not be enough to take the battle into the final round.

The 28-year-old Finn has a strong record over roads new to the championship, winning in Norway in 2007 and triumphing in Jordan in April. He also claimed the top step of the podium in Japan in 2007, having finished third the previous year.
"Last week's test went well and it was a good feeling to be back on gravel. I have to go to Japan and try to win again, it's the only thing I can do to try to keep the championships alive," he said.

"We need to be careful with the pace notes because the roads are narrow and fast. On the more open corners it will be important to check carefully for rocks to see if it will be OK to make cuts or not. It helps that everyone is competing on these roads for the first time because nobody has the advantage of previous experience.

"I enjoy making new notes and feel confident when I'm doing that. However, it's easy to slip up on new rallies, because we write the notes on the first pass during the recce and then check them just once on the second pass before driving the roads flat out. I've seen pictures of the stages but I don't know much more than that. There seems to be plenty of loose stones, a little like Australia but not to the same extent, and I understand the roads are narrow and soft in places," added Hirvonen.

Latvala returns to the official Ford line-up after driving a Focus RS WRC for the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford squad on the two asphalt rounds in Spain and Corsica. "I'm happy to be back on gravel but I enjoyed the last two days' driving in Corsica which boosted my confidence. I'm told these stages are fast and similar to the roads we drove when the rally was based in Obihiro. Perhaps they are slightly rougher and narrower," said the 23-year-old Finn, who will make his third start in Japan.

"Mikko and I have to try to take maximum points and keep the Citroens behind us. The recce is very important because everyone must write new pace notes. We have to be focused because otherwise it can affect the quality of the notes, and when they're not precise then it's difficult to trust them fully and to attack as much as normal. I was happy with my pre-event test in which I made good improvements to my dry weather suspension set-up," added Latvala.

Team News
* As part of the sport's new regulations, BP Ford Abu Dhabi will have just one tyre pattern from Pirelli. The Scorpion gravel tyre will be available in soft compound only. Because anti-deflation mousse is also outlawed this year, the Scorpion includes reinforced sidewalls to offer increased protection against punctures. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the rubber and each car can carry two spares.

* The team completed a successful four-day gravel test in the south of France last week in preparation for Rally Japan and Rally GB. Hirvonen drove for the first two days with Latvala taking the wheel for the final two. The team was delighted with the test, making improvements to the Focus RS WRC's differential settings and suspension set-up.

* Four other Focus RS cars will start. Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin and François Duval / Patrick Pivato are nominated by the Stobart VK M-Sport squad while the Munchi's Ford team has entered Federico Villagra / Jorge Perez Companc and Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud.

Munchi’s magic heads to Japan in search of final event glory

Posted: October 27, 2008 6:14 PM

he final round of the Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team’s 10-event, 2008 FIA World Rally Championship campaign gets underway next week as the Argentine outfit heads to Sapporo for Rally Japan.  

Heading the team, as they have done all year for the side, will be Federico Villagra/Jorge Pérez Companc as they join forces with the Norwegian pairing of Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud for the fifth time this year.  

The Munchi’s Ford WRT currently lie fifth in the Manufacturers’ Championship just one point ahead of Suzuki’s factory side coming into the event. With the Japanese manufacturer planning to contest the final WRC round in December theMunchi’s outfit will be looking to rack-up a healthy points bundle in Japan in an attempt to secure fifth place for the year.  

Villagra posted his best result of seventh in the 2007 WRC season here in Japan and the Argentine will be searching to better this performance on roads which are said to be similar in nature to that of his homeland. Currently 12th outright in this year’s championship ‘Coyote’ will be hoping to add to his driver points tally in Japan as he currently sits just four points outside a top-10 berth.  

After the Tarmac event in Spain Villagra headed back to Argentina for the latest round of the Argentine Rally Championship which he still leads comfortably. This extra time on gravel will help as he attempts to fire out of the blocks from the start of the Sapporo-based stages.  

Solberg has a short but stunning history in Japan and it is the last event where he stood on the WRC rostrum when he sped home to third in 2007 with the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team. It’s this kind of fast, slippery gravel roads that the Norwegian has become accustomed to and this year it could be Solberg who puts the Munchi’s on the WRC podium for the first time in their two year history.  

This year Rally Japan has moved to an all-new precinct to the bustling city of Sapporo which is the biggest city in the north island of Hokkaidō. In keeping with typical Rally Japan tradition there will be no less than 29 stages run over the three days which includes five passes over the purpose-build Sapporo Dome super special which will also host Rally HQ and Service Park throughout the event.  

With a brand new location the rally is set to be a cracker with new stages and pacenotes for everybody as a completecontrol tyre comes back into play with all WRC crews running on a soft compound Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyre for the Japanese event.          

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Federico Villagra said:
“This is going to be an interesting rally and I prefer lots of smaller stages rather than not so many long ones so for me I think it will help having 29 stages to cover. It is a new rally for everyone which will make things more even but I really don’t know what to expect of these conditions because I know nothing about the region. I like to visit Japan, it is a different culture with different things to see and the people there are crazy about rally. Since Spain I have been rallying in Argentina on gravel again so my feeling should be good from the start. Last year I had a very good result here and again this season we will be pushing hard to collect some good points for me and also for the Munchi’s team which is still ahead of Suzuki in the Manufacturer Championship.”  

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Henning Solberg said: “I was on the podium in Japan last year and I would love to be on it again in 2008. I like the type of stages there were in Obihiro and I hope these will be similar in Sapporo. Last time I was on gravel was in New Zealand and we won seven stages... that was more than Sebastien and he won the rally! I hope the setup of the Focus from New Zealand will work as well in Japan and then for sure we can be pushing for a podium. Japan is a great place for Rallying, especially all the fans there and last year I discovered Sushi, this is the proper stuff. I will try my best for some good points here because I can still move up a place in the championship and also the Munchi’s want to stay in front of Suzuki so I will do my best to help add some good points to their team’s tally.”

Stobart navigate to Nippon for a new challenge in the Far East

Posted: October 27, 2008 6:11 PM

An all-new location will play host to this year’s penultimate round of the FIA World Rally Championship as crews head to Sapporo for next week’s Rally Japan. The event will see the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team field two entrants – Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin and François Duval/Patrick Pivato – in the land of the rising sun.  

After a firm display on the past two WRC events the team will look to add to their manufacturer points tally as they are rejoined by Duval for the final two rallies of the year. The Belgian has had mixed fortunes on his two attempts at Rally Japan, last contesting the event in 2005 where he finished fourth overall.  

However, Duval is starting in Japan after two fantastic results on the last two events, including a podium in Corsica, and the 27-year-old will be looking to bank on his recent experience behind the wheel of the Ford Focus RS WRC and turn it into more results.  

For Wilson this is a rally of fond memories as it remains the place of his finest WRC result to-date when he scored a fourth place finish last season. With the 21-year-old sitting on the verge of a top-ten finish in the WRC Drivers’ Championship a strong points result here would be the ideal scenario for the Brit.  

2006 also saw a solid performance from Wilson in Japan which included several top-ten fastest stage times on his first trip to the Asian continent. After a superb final day performance on his last gravel event in New Zealand the youngster will be looking to further his abilities on the slippery surface ahead of his home event, Wales Rally GB, in December.   

This year Rally Japan moves to an all-new arena in the city of Sapporo – Japan’s fifth largest and the capital of the north island, Hokkaidō. Stages will be brand new for all WRC crews as no fewer than 29 are run over three days of competition covering a total of 343.69 kilometres of competitive distance.  

Despite its large number of stages the event is quite compact this year with no remote service or excessively long road sections. Event headquarters will be based in the Sapporo Dome with the rally holding five passes over a 1.49 kilometre super special which is to be run inside the stadium. It has a maximum seating capacity of over 40,000 and hosted three games during the 2002 Soccer World Cup.  

Unlike the previous two WRC events the all crews have to run on identical soft-compound Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres which could prove to be a key player as teams venture into unchartered territory for the first time in Sapporo.  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver François Duval said:
“It is not going to be easy for me to go fast from the start in Japan because the last time I was here was three years ago but OK this year the rally is in a new location which means new roads, and pace-notes, for everybody. It took some time for me to find a good setup with the Focus in New Zealand but now I have the gravel kilometres on board from that event we can hopefully transfer the knowledge into speed next week in Japan. There are some big fights for the top places in the championship right now so these guys will be hard to match but hopefully by the end of the rally I will be pushing for a podium like on the last two events in Spain and Corsica.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Matthew Wilson said:
“Things are going to be quite interesting this year in Japan coming to a new place where it’s new stages and potentially a new surface for everybody. From some pictures I have seen of the roads it looks like they are going to be quite narrow so it could be a challenging event next week. I’m looking forward to it though, last year we had a clean run and a great result and hopefully we can do the same again this year. Again thought it will be a challenge and we are going to have to write fresh pacenotes for all the stages and I think this will be a part of everyone’s approach to the rally that is going to be crucial.”  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
“The Stobart team come into this event with both crews fresh from good manufacturer and driver points finishes in Corsica two weeks ago. This puts the team in a confident position coming into a rally which is new for everybody. On the final day of the last gravel event in New Zealand Matthew put in one of his best drives to date and hopefully he can carry this form forward into Japan. François has done a fantastic job for the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team over the last two events and he will rejoin the Stobart team off the back of a fine podium finish in Corsica.”

WRC reaches a head as SWRT goes home for all-new Rally Japan

Posted: October 27, 2008 6:04 PM

The Subaru World Rally Team will head to the northerly Japanese island of Hokkaido for the last long-haul rally and the penultimate round of the 2008 World Rally Championship season. It is the first time that the new Impreza WRC2008 will be seen in its homeland. Whilst still in Hokkaido, this year sees the rally base move from Obihiro to Sapporo, meaning new gravel stages and a whole new challenge.

“We come to Rally Japan this year with a new car and big expectations on what is effectively our ‘home event’” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “The change of location for the rally may well prove to be a leveller between the front runners but it’s always been an event that throws up surprises and there’s every chance that both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles could be settled on this rally.”

Rally Japan is Subaru’s home event, and will be where the fans are most feverish about the team and the new Impreza WRC2008. Even before Subaru gained global recognition with their early world rallying triumphs, the brand has held a special place in the hearts of Japanese fans. Like previous editions of the rally though, this year will be no easy ride.

Rally Japan has traditionally been a punishing event; a rally of attrition. Since the inaugural event in 2004, the event has been won by four different manufacturers and four different drivers, including Solberg’s victory in that opening year. This year marks the first time the rally has been run outside of Obihiro, and whilst the stages are totally new to all but Japanese National Championship competitors, the stern challenge remains.

“It’s a completely new event for us and the drivers haven’t done the recce or driven the stages before” said Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director. “We’re expecting quite low temperatures, but it’s been 20 degrees Celsius this week so it’s hard to know exactly.
It’ll be as tricky as any Rally Japan though, especially the second passes of the stages where it’ll get very rutted. When you get rutted roads you don’t know what surprises you’re going to get as the cars could pull rocks up from beneath the surface, and because the roads are narrow these rocks won’t be swept to one side away from the line.

“Rally Japan has got a bit of everything; it’s got medium-fast, slow and high-speed sections, up and down hill gradients and a new superspecial stage on tarmac. It’s very unique, and hasn’t got any one particular characteristic. The drivers are not going to get a real feel for the conditions until they actually do the first stage because the shakedown is run on the superspecial stage and therefore is on tarmac.

“The conditions and the nature of the rally will be pretty similar to the event in past years, as they’ve all had a mixture of everything” Howarth continued. “We’re also going to be running in the dark, so it’s the first time since GB last year that the drivers will have done so. That’ll throw up some challenges as the second passes of stages are those that will be dark, so you’ll have the tricky, rutted conditions and the darkness combined.

“The ruts are where you can really make or lose time. If you’ve got a lot of confidence and can really commit and hold the line, then you’ll be very fast. We haven’t driven in these wet conditions on gravel with a low ambient since Rally Argentina earlier this year, and there is a championship fight on as well which could be decided in Japan, so it’ll be a very challenging event.”

"Rally Japan is a special event for me and for Subaru” Petter Solberg said. “My message to the Subaru and WRC fans in Japan is this: please look forward to this rally! We have been shifting our focus to gravel performance for Japan and GB and developing a setup that will get the best from the car in these conditions. Just like when I won Rally Japan in 2004, I will head to Japan thinking of nothing but a victory.

“Even though it’s all new, the fact that I’ve been to Japan so many times before should be an advantage for me. Japan is my second home. The Japanese rally fans are so enthusiastic, and it is a very important rally for Subaru and for me, so I know the fans will be great at cheering us on!"

Chris Atkinson shares his team-mate’s sentiments: "Though the stages are new and the rally has moved to Sapporo, experience shows that I like the narrow high speed stages of Japan which are similar to Finland where I scored my last podium this year.
“I was the first Australian driver to stand on the podium when I scored my very first podium here on the 2005 Rally Japan so I have some good memories. It also tells you that we can perform better when the average speed is faster. It's an important rally for us and the team, and I'm looking forward to it. It's the team's home and everyone there is a huge Subaru fan!”

Rally Japan consists of 29 stages, 11 of which are spectator-focused in the form of the Sapporo, Imeru and Nidom tests. Sapporo is the fifth largest city in Japan, and the rally HQ is based within the Sapporo Dome. The route totals 344.72 kilometres of competition to the west of Sapporo on day one into the Yubari and Mikasa regions, and to the south towards Chitose and Tomakomai for days two and three. Pirelli’s soft compound Scorpion gravel tyre is the only available choice for WRC crews.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team has entered two Impreza WRC2008s for Pioneer Carrozzeria Rally Japan. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills will drive number five, and team-mates Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot number six. Solberg and Mills won the first running of Rally Japan in 2004. Atkinson scored his first ever WRC podium on Rally Japan in 2005, becoming the first Australian to stand on the WRC podium. He finished fourth in 2006 but was sidelined after an accident last year.

Between the rallies
In the two weeks since Rallye de France Tour de Corse, Solberg/Mills and Atkinson/Prévot have been busy testing. They completed a day each on gravel immediately after the rally in Corsica, followed by another day each in the UK in preparation for Japan.

In the workshops, the Spain/Corsica cars have been stripped and the two Impreza WRC2008s that will be used in Japan have been prepared and made ready for air freight. In this case, the cars can be transported ‘complete’, which means just removing the driveshafts and water/anti-freeze before they fly.

CITROEN PREVIEW

Posted: October 27, 2008 5:49 PM

CITROEN PREVIEW

Entry List and Details

Posted: October 17, 2008 10:24 AM

Rally Japan

Date Change to 31 Oct -2 Nov

Posted: March 27, 2008 11:06 AM

The Japanese round of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship will now take place on 31 October to 2 November (Japan Rally).

Posted: January 28, 2008 10:44 PM

Rally Japan

• 2008 World Rally Championship