Rally of New Zealand WRC (P) - 28-31 Aug 08

Solberg soars to fourth in dramatic climax to Rally New Zealand

Posted: September 1, 2008 3:40 PM

Petter Solberg and Phil Mills finished the 38th running of Rally New Zealand in fourth position overall after a dramatic re-shake of the leaderboard on the rally’s penultimate stage. The Whaanga Coast test was the most beautiful of the rally, skirting the Pacific Ocean, but proved a bitter femme fatale for three of the leaders as the competition at the front raged to a nail-biting conclusion.

The final day of Repco Rally New Zealand was a short, sharp affair, but was far and away the most dramatic and spectacular of the rally. Before a final running of the Mystery Creek spectator stage, four full-length speed tests took the crews west towards the surfers’ paradise of Raglan. A combination of intense pressure and the fast and unforgiving rock-strewn roads of the penultimate Whaanga Coast stage gave the event an unexpected sting in the tail that turned the leaderboard on its head in remarkable fashion.

As the dusty gravel roads became cleaner and grippier with each passing car, Petter Solberg and Phil Mills made the most of their starting position of seventh on the road to set some much improved times. The duo slipped into sixth place overall after the first stage, and as the battle at the front intensified in the closing kilometres, Solberg and Mills kept strong heads and conquered the Whaanga demon to leap into fourth position by the day’s end.

“Rally New Zealand last year produced the closest WRC finish in recent years, and this year we have seen yet again an incredible twist on the final day” said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. “Petter and Phil did a solid job in what was a much more positive day for us. Their efforts were rewarded with a last-minute leap to fourth position, which goes some way to consoling what has overall been a tough weekend for the team. Chris similarly upped his pace this morning which was encouraging and we’ve certainly learned a lot from the testing he has carried out over the last couple of days.”

“It’s been a tough rally for us but fourth place is good after this weekend” said Petter Solberg. “What an incredible finish, the Whaanga stage was like a scrap yard! Today the car felt the best it has this weekend, so we are definitely making steps in the right direction but it’s taking a little time. Of course, we are here for winning though so we have some more steps to take, but we have to lift our heads now and keep working so we can start to fight at the front.”

Atkinson and Prévot started the day well, going second fastest on the opening stage, but their improved form was unfortunately not to last. Missing the afternoon’s excitement, the duo were forced into retirement having demonstrated more competitive pace until they nudged a bank on the inside of a corner and damaged their radiator. They were brought to a standstill 21.3 kilometres into the stage as a result of overheating, and the pair were unable to re-start their engine.

“Ok, this weekend has been tough for us, especially after our third position on the last gravel rally in Finland” said Chris Atkinson. “It’s disappointing that we had to retire today. We were testing some suspension components, and under braking the car slid straight on and we nosed into a bank and damaged the radiator, so that was it. Now we have a little gap to look at what we can do ahead of Spain.”

The Subaru Impreza WRC2008 is still in its infancy in the championship, and although its sense of belonging makes it easy to accept already as a series long-termer, New Zealand is only the fifth rally for the car.

Munchi’s manufacture double points down under

Posted: September 1, 2008 3:39 PM

The Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team have had a successful drive down under as they finished with both crews inside the points on this weekend’s Repco Rally New Zealand; round 11 of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Federico Villagra/Jorge P鲥z Companc put in a solid drive from start to finish picking up eighth place and two manufacturer points for the team. Team-mates Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud fought back from an incredible 48th position, after stage 1 power-steering issues, to finish an amazing ninth overall picking up the final manufacturer point for the team.

Solberg’s solid fight back was helped along by a massive bag of seven stage wins over days 1 and 2. Using his road position to good advantage the Norwegian blew everyone out of the water on stage 15 by over 8 seconds this morning despite a fierce battle between the top-four crews for the overall rally win.

In the first five kilometres of the opening stage of Rally New Zealand Solberg was struck down with power steering failure and lost over seven minutes over the first three stages as he battled the issue.

Fortunately his Munchi’s technical team were able to repair the fairly significant problem in just six minutes over the scheduled service time allotment to have him back out in the chase with a fully repaired Ford Focus RS WOR07.

Villagra has put in another solid gravel effort to post his fourth point scoring finish this year and his best ever WRC result in New Zealand. The Argentine took a measured approach over the three days capitalising on good road position to set some solid stage times.

The only real concern for Villagra came on Friday when he lost the feeling of his brakes during the afternoon loop of stages losing him a small amount of time.

Rally New Zealand was a different affair this year with weather conditions staying dry for the entirety making things tough at the top with loose gravel present on all three stages. Again this year the event was based in Hamilton with the majority of stages being run to the west.

In total crews experienced 353.03 kilometres of fast paced action over some of the most exciting roads in the championship. In total 18 stages were covered including three passes over the spectator friendly Mystery Creek super special.

The next event for the Munchi’s Ford WRT is Rally de Espa��here Solberg will again accompany Villagra as the second nominated point scoring driver for the team.

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Henning Solberg said:
“We have made some good steps this rally and I will take a lot away from it. After our problems on Friday I got this opportunity to drive at my own pace and it allowed me to try new things and set some great times along the way. We threw away last year’s notes and made new ones for this rally and I think this also helped a lot. It was great to set seven fastest stage times and also to finish ninth which meant we could score a point for the Munchi’s team and help them in the championship.”

Munchi’s Ford World Rally Team Driver Federico Villagra said:
“I am very happy to be here at the finish with both drivers’ and manufacturers’ points. It was our goal to finish in the top-eight on this event and that is exactly what we have achieved so I am very pleased with this. It has been a tough rally and we have had some small problems with the brakes but it is great to finish with no real problems all weekend. We are improving our pace on each event and learning more every rally and this event has been a good step forward. I am looking forward to the next rally in Spain as we will be testing before it and hopefully this will help me as my experience on Tarmac is limited.”

Wilson flies home for Stobart as Duval bows out

Posted: September 1, 2008 3:34 PM

It has been an unfortunate final day of Repco Rally New Zealand with Franâ¿s Duval/Patrick Pivato bowing out on the penultimate stage after looking promising for a fifth place finish.

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team-mates Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin have had another fine day to finish the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship in 17th position. The pair climbed back from an incredible 41st on Friday when they retired from day 1 with a transmission problem.

Twenty-one kilometres into the rallyfs penultimate stage Duval left the road on a medium right-hand corner when he encountered some loose gravel. The car then became beached and the Belgian was unable to move it and was forced to retired from the event. It was an unfortunate end to what was another strong rally for Duval with the Stobart team.

The only dramas for the Belgian over the weekend came in the form of brake loss which he put down to an overuse of left-foot braking especially towards the end of some of the longer stages on Saturday. After struggling with over-steer on Friday morning Duval made antiroll bar changes in service which helped his confidence for the remainder of the event.

Wilsonfs efforts over the last two days of Rally New Zealand have seen some of his best driving to date in the WRC. On todayfs opening 11.23 kilometre Te Hutewai test the 21-year-old set an amazing second fastest time despite a raging battle between the top-four competitors fighting hard for the rally win.

The young Britfs problem on day 1 occurred with five kilometres left of the 24.22 kilometre Pirongia 2 stage when he experienced gear selection issues and, as a result, the decision was made to withdraw him from the leg not to cause any further damage to his Stobart Ford Focus RS WRC07.

On an event plagued with drama and incidents the Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyre again held strong on what have been some tough days of competition. Weather was not so typical to usual Rally New Zealand conditions, with dry days throughout making loose gravel a factor and affecting front running crews who were left to esweepf the roads.

Rally New Zealandfs typically fast flowing cambered roads again treated fans to an action packed event once again based from Hamilton in the countryfs north island. The event saw 18 stages over 353.04 kilometres of competitive distance covered from Friday to Sunday across some of the most picturesque scenery in the championship.

This yearfs Rally New Zealand has seen one of the most dramatic WRC events in recent history where road position and team tactics have played a big part in proceedings. The next event for the Stobart squad takes crews back to tarmac where Jari-Matti Latvala will rejoin his old team for Rally de Espa��

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Franâ¿s Duval said:
gIt was a second gear corner near the end of stage 17 and we caught a little bit of loose gravel and slid off the road. The car was not damaged but it became stuck and we were unable to get it out of the ditch. We were taking no risks on this stage so it was unlucky that our rally ended this way. We were starting to set some good times and my feeling was getting better each day after such a long time out of a WRC car on gravel. The next event for me is Spain and I am looking forward to getting back on asphalt again.h

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Matthew Wilson said:
gI really enjoyed the rally this weekend but obviously we are disappointed with what happened on Friday as we would be in a great position now. Having a epressure-freef run over the last two days allowed me to drive my own race and try a few different things and we have set some great stage times in the process which I am really happy with. I have learnt a lot this weekend and I will take a lot away from our performance here. This is a fantastic rally with some amazing stages and Ifm looking forward to hopefully coming back in the future.h

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said:
gIt has been an unfortunate end to what was looking to be another strong event for the Stobart team. Franâ¿sf off was a huge disappointment after what has been a really strong drive considering his long break from gravel and Ifm really surprised he went off after not putting a foot wrong all rally. This has been one of Mathewfs best performances in his career and the times he set today with everything going on at the front have been really impressive. He has also set some amazing split times over the last two days and it was good to see him setting faster times than drivers like Petter and Urmo.h

Podium place for Hirvonen after dramatic finale in New Zealand

Posted: September 1, 2008 3:23 PM

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished third on Rally New Zealand today as, for the second consecutive season, the event provided a finale that could have come straight from a story book. The Finns drove their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car to the Hamilton finish ceremony more in disappointment than celebration after a dramatic ending that also saw team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila retire and the team lose a possible 1-2 finish.

After two days of gripping competition over smooth and flowing gravel roads in the Waikato district of North Island, today's final leg started with four drivers covered by less than 15sec. The tight leaderboard owed much to tactics as drivers jockeyed for position to obtain the best start position for today. With the roads covered in slippery loose gravel, those at the front were at a disadvantage as they swept away the stones to leave a cleaner, and faster, line for those behind to follow.

Latvala and Hirvonen were first and second overnight and started in that order today. Latvala's 'sweeping' role helped Hirvonen enormously and the 28-year-old swapped places on the leaderboard with his colleague after the first loop of two countryside speed tests close to Raglan. With those tests repeated, the now clean roads offered a level playing field for all and Hirvonen extended his lead to 9.8sec over Latvala with just one countryside test and a short spectator-friendly stage remaining.

The 29.72km Whaanga Coast is one of the great challenges in the FIA World Rally Championship, winding through lush, green hills with stunning views of the Tasman Sea. It lived up to its reputation as the rally's keynote stage as firstly Latvala swiped a bank and retired with a damaged radiator and then Hirvonen punctured a tyre and later spun his Focus RS WRC, losing a minute and sliding to third.

"This is one of the biggest disappointments of my career but that's the way sport goes," said Hirvonen. "I was confident I could drive at normal pace through that stage and win but it wasn't to be because we handed Loeb victory. It's not looking so good for either championship now but it's not impossible. An eight-point gap in the drivers' standings will be difficult to make up and it's annoying to end like this after a great weekend. But I finished on the podium and what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. The positive from this event is that I know I can win gravel rallies.

"When I saw Jari-Matti stopped in the stage I knew I just had to finish. However about 9km from the end I realised I had a slow puncture on the rear right tyre. I've no idea how, or where, it happened. Then a kilometre before the finish I spun and the impact on the bank dragged off the front bumper. It just wasn't meant to be," added Hirvonen, after completing the last of the 16 tests covering 353.04km.

Latvala's accident happened 3.5km after the start. "I approached a long left bend where the later cars in the first pass had created a narrow line. I lost grip at the rear and the car went sideways. I floored the throttle to try to straighten up, but it turned and I went into the inside of the corner. I hit a bank, which had a rock buried in the sand, and the impact broke the radiator and the cooler. I knew straight away that it was over because the oil temperature and water warning lights came on. I'm disappointed because I lost points for myself and the team. I was going so well and was pleased with my driving here so I thought I could finish second. It's a bad feeling but after my problems in Germany, I've learned that I have to pick myself up and carry on," said 23-year-old Latvala.

BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson summed up the team's feelings. "This is one of the most disappointing days that we've ever had. After being in commanding first and second places going into the last countryside stage, we certainly didn't expect to find ourselves with just third. I really feel for Mikko because he drove a faultless rally and showed he can take the fight to Loeb. Both he and Jari-Matti showed tremendous pace this weekend and we'll come back fighting," he said.

Ford of Europe motorsport director Mark Deans said: "We're terribly disappointed with what happened but it's days like today that make the WRC such a fascinating sport. We were on the receiving end and this result is a blow to our hopes of retaining the manufacturers' championship, but there are still four rallies remaining so we'll fight back. We saw today how unpredictable this sport can be so it's too early to start making predictions of how the year might end."

Citroen Press Release

Posted: September 1, 2008 3:22 PM

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Leob wims Dramatic New Zealand

Posted: September 1, 2008 3:21 PM

1. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 3hr 59min 18.9sec
2. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 3hr 59min 36.4sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 4hr 00min 00.4sec
4. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Subaru Impreza 4hr 02min 07.8sec
5. U Aava/K Sikk EST Citroen C4 4hr 02min 49.6sec
6. P-G Andersson/J Andersson SWE Suzuki SX4 4hr 06min 56.3sec
7. T Gardemeister/T Tuominen FIN Suzuki SX4 4hr 07min 13.8sec
8. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 4hr 07min 53.9sec
9. H Solberg/C Menkerud NOR Ford Focus RS 4hr 08min 34.1sec
10 M Prokop/J Tomanek CZE Mitsubishi Lancer 4hr 13min 07.9sec

Full Results and News:

www.wrc.com

Citroen Preview

Posted: August 27, 2008 1:00 PM

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SWRT celebrate 15 years and 200 starts for the Subaru Impreza

Posted: August 27, 2008 12:51 PM

Just one week after competition in Germany, the Subaru World Rally Team heads for the gravel roads of Repco Rally New Zealand, the eleventh round of the World Rally Championship, for an event marked by milestones both past and present.

The rally marks the 15th anniversary of Subarufs first World Rally win, on the 1993 New Zealand Rally, at the hands of Colin McRae in what was the last rally for the Subaru Legacy. The win was pivotal in the introduction of the iconic Impreza to the World Rallying scene, effectively heralding the new era for the team. It was also to be the first of three wins for Colin in New Zealand, putting him in the elite group of only three drivers to have ever claimed a hat-trick of victories on the event.

Now, 15 years on, the event also marks the 200th World Rally start for the Subaru Impreza. Although now in its latest iteration, the Imprezafs heritage within the WRC is unquestionable and Subarufs road-going iterations carry more WRC lineage than any other marque.

The rally weekend also coincides with the McRae Gathering, a World Record-challenging convoy of more than 1000 Subaru road cars that starts from SWRTfs headquarters in the UK. A fitting tribute as Rally New Zealand is an event very significant to Subarufs rally history and to the memory of the Great Scot.

The event itself consists of fast and flowing gravel roads that tear through the lush landscape of the countryfs North Island. Located 130km from the city of Auckland, the rally is again based in the Mystery Creek Events Centre, within which the service park is sheltered indoors. Sixteen stages take crews through 354.58 kilometres of competition after a ceremonial start on Thursday night in the nearby city of Hamilton. The Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyre will be used in hard compound guise and with the low ambient temperatures conditions wonft be dissimilar to those seen on Rally Argentina at the end of March this season.

Close to the hearts of Subaru fans the world over will also be stage seven of the event, run on Saturday morning. The Possum stage was so-called to honour New Zealandfs rallying hero Possum Bourne, as it runs through the region of Franklin from which Possum came. He enjoyed a longer relationship with Subaru in rallying than any other driver. Starting in 1983 with a win on Rally New Zealand aboard a Subaru RX Coupe, he received factory support for the Asia-Pacific Championship and claimed a record seven consecutive Australian Championship titles aboard an Impreza.

Approaching the countryfs spring season, temperatures are expected to be between 10-15 degrees Celsius. Recent weather in the region has brought a deluge, swamping many of the farms and water-logging many of the routes. This has led to the splitting in two of the 43.98km Waitomo stage, which was the longest of the rally, due to an impassable 80 metre section at the mid-point. The road section between SS1 and SS13 is also currently impassable due to water, though this is expected to subside before the event.

A spectator stage around the Mystery Creek service park runs three times during the weekend, the third time as the final stage of the rally, bringing the competition to a conclusion on Sunday. The Eye in the Sky brings live action to Sky Sports 1 and 3 throughout the weekend, starting at 1700hrs on Friday 29 August.

Last yearfs running led to the closest finish in the history of the WRC, with the first and second placed crews separated by only 0.3 seconds after three days of flat-out competition.

Entries
The Subaru World Rally Team has entered two Impreza WRC2008s for Repco Rally New Zealand. Petter Solberg and Phil Mills will drive number five, and team-mates Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Prévot number six.

Solberg and Mills have competed in New Zealand six times before, every year since 2002. They have achieved three podium finishes in this time, including a win in 2004.

Atkinson has competed here three times before, but only last year alongside Prévot, when the pair finished fourth overall.

Team quotes
David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal: gIfve got some great memories of Rally New Zealand. Itfs an event that is historically very significant for the team, producing our first ever WRC win. More recently wefve had a busy few weeks of testing and rallies, and as a result our drivers are feeling increasingly more confident with the new car.h

Paul Howarth, Subaru World Rally Team operations director: gThe cambered roads we see in New Zealand are pretty unique to this rally, and getting them right is crucial to setting good times. The drivers must get their car to flow from corner to corner using the camber to their advantage, and they must build a good rhythm from the start otherwise the time will just fall away. Itfs also important to have maximum confidence and commitment to slingshot the car along the fast roads.h

Driver quotes
Petter Solberg: gI like New Zealand as it is fast and flowing, and you really have to have the confidence to commit to be quick. At the end of Germany I was feeling really good, it was a definite step forward. But now we are back to gravel so itfs totally different, so we work on what we had in Finland and see where we go from there. I hope we can keep the same feeling from Germany and then I think wefll be quite strong.h

Chris Atkinson: gIfm really looking forward to New Zealand but we need to find a little more speed if wefre going to compete with the likes of Seb, Mikko and Jari-Matti. We have some good ideas from Finland, so if everything works out, I think we could be strong there. As with last year itfs the closest to my home rally this season so Ifm looking forward to getting there, meeting all the guys who are coming over from home, and closing the gap to those in front.h

Between the rallies
Chris, Phil and Stéphane all travelled home from Germany on the Sunday night to spend a few precious days at home in the week between Germany and New Zealand. Petter travelled home to Monaco with wife Pernilla on the Monday, before he, Phil and Stéphane flew to Auckland just two days later on Wednesday. Chris followed a day later, spending a night at home in Australia on the way.

Everyone at SWRT congratulates Stéphane and his partner upon the birth of their daughter Zoë, on Monday 11 August

Hirvonen and Latvala aim to relight Ford's gold medal bid

Posted: August 24, 2008 6:50 PM

BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team journeys to New Zealand for the third rally in just five weekends intent on putting its world title challenge back on track. The world champion dropped to second in both the manufacturers' and drivers' standings in the FIA World Rally Championship on Germany's asphalt roads earlier this month and is keen to make amends on the team's more favoured gravel surface.

The flowing roads of Rally New Zealand (28 - 31 August) offer the perfect opportunity for the all-Finnish line-up of Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen and colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila to fight back in their Focus RS World Rally Cars. Fast, smooth as a billiard table and cambered, the North Island roads gently wind through lush, green countryside and are similar to Finland. They are widely regarded as the most enjoyable of the season and invite drivers to attack.

New Zealand has endured a very wet winter, which has brought about late changes to the route. While more rain would soften the roads further, the wet spell should ensure there will be no loose gravel on the surface, offering better grip for the early starters – Hirvonen will be second in the start order.

Twenty-eight-year-old Hirvonen lies just four points from the lead in the drivers' standings after top spot changed hands for the sixth time this season in the thrilling title duel between the Ford driver and Sébastien Loeb. This will be his fifth start in New Zealand, round 11 of the 15-event series, his best result coming in 2006 when he finished second.

"The roads in New Zealand have a good rhythm to them and they are so smooth that there's no need to worry about damaging the car on rocks," said Hirvonen. "The cambered corners encourage attacking driving but it's important not to position the car on the wrong side of the camber coming into a corner. If that happens then the car ends up sliding wide or perhaps not even making it round at all.

"If the temperatures are cool and it is wet then hard compound tyres will be far from easy. There is no choice in the matter. We will all have to use that compound because those are the rules but I will need to be very careful because it will be hard to get heat into the tyres in those temperatures. It could be like the first stage in Argentina where I took risks in similar conditions and was able to make a very fast time – the alternative is that the risks don't work and the car goes off the road.

"The engine improvements on the new car that we debuted in Germany have made a difference. The tight regulations mean it's not possible to make big steps forward but the engine response has definitely improved. Everything happens a little faster than it did so I hope that will benefit us in New Zealand also. It's important to win rallies for our title challenges but if I can't do that then I have to score as many points as possible," added Hirvonen.

Latvala's best result from his three starts came last year when the 23-year-old finished fifth. "This is a rally that I enjoy and after my disappointment in Germany earlier this month it will help to go to a rally that I like and feel comfortable with. I prefer to go here now than a tough, rocky rally like the Acropolis in Greece for example," he said.

"The countryside is beautiful and the roads are great. The surface is a mix of sand and very smooth gravel which is hard packed so the conditions are good and the cambered roads allow more speed to be carried through the bends. There has been a lot of rain there so an early start position is a benefit. Wet roads mean there will be no loose gravel on top and I should be through the tests before the mud comes to the surface and makes it really slippery for those further down the start order," he added.

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 hard 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.

* Four other Focus RS cars will start. François Duval / Patrick Pivato will replace the injured Gigi Galli in the Stobart VK M-Sport Ford team alongside Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin, while Federico Villagra / Jorge Perez Companc and Henning Solberg / Cato Menkerud will drive for the Munchi's Ford squad. Five Fiesta ST cars are also entered.

Rally Route
The scheduled itinerary was virtually identical to 2007, with only minor alterations to two stages on the opening day and the removal of a short test from the final leg. However, landslides have forced organisers to split the monster 43.98km Waitomo test into two parts on the first day. The rally is based at Hamilton, 130km south of Auckland and close to North Island's west coast. The single service park is based at Mystery Creek Events Centre, a few kilometres to the south. After a ceremonial start in Hamilton on Thursday evening, the opening leg heads south-west. The second leg is based north-west before the spectacular final day which hugs the Tasman Sea coastline and includes a remote service zone at Raglan. The highlight is two passes over the classic Whaanga Coast test, with dramatic views over the ocean. Each leg includes a short test at Mystery Creek, in view of the service park. There are 18 stages in total, covering 353.04km in a route of 1218.20km.

Solberg returns to Munchifs side for southern stages

Posted: August 24, 2008 6:49 PM

Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud will join the Munchifs Ford World Rally Team next week as it embarks on round 8 of its 10 event campaign in the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship; Repco Rally New Zealand. The Norwegiansf team-mates for the event will be fulltime Munchifs regulars Federico Villagra/Jorge Pérez Companc.  

Currently the Munchifs Ford WRT lie ahead of Suzukifs works outfit in the Manufacturer Championship and will be looking to build on this six point lead come the end of this yearfs Australasian-based event.  

Solberg comes in as the most experienced campaigner in the Munchifs camp with three Rally New Zealand starts under his belt. The Norwegianfs best result of ninth came last year behind the wheel of a Ford Focus RS WRC06 and this time round he will be looking to go one better and finish inside the points for the first time in New Zealand.  

Team-mate Villagra is also no stranger to the southern hemisphere event as he has competed here twice before with a top result of 11th last year with the Munchifs squad. In 2005 he took on the rally as a round of the Production World Rally Championship and finished seventh in GpN.  

Solberg currently lies seventh in the Driversf Championship just five points behind his brother Petter in sixth. Last year he was setting some promising times only to be spoiled by punctures and a mud filled radiator so will be searching for a firm result to launch up the championship standings in 2008.  

Despite his absence from the most recent WRC round in Germany, Villagra has been keeping on form by competing in the Argentine Rally Championship last weekend. Continuing his domination of the championship eCoyotef won Rally Vuelta de la Manzana and now takes a 27 point lead in the South American-based championship with just four rounds remaining.  

Based in the north island of New Zealand this yearfs event will again offer crews high-speed, smooth gravel roads which are often described as a favourite by many drivers. The 354.58 kilometres of competitive distance will be made up of 16 special stages which include three passes over the 3.14 kilometre Mystery Creek Super Special.  

Hamilton and the Mystery Creek Events Centre will again host the rally which sees a remote service being held in the Raglan region. Currently weather conditions are forecast to be very wet with one stage (SS2) already affected by heavy rain and winds as engineers have been working to fix the road before the rally begins next Friday.  

  Munchifs Ford World Rally Team Driver Henning Solberg said:
gIfm really looking forward to New Zealand as, for me, it will be great to be back on gravel. The stages are fast and very flowing and thatfs exactly the conditions I like best; it lets me get a good feeling with the car and helps with my confidence. Ifve never had an especially good result there before but we have made some good improvements on gravel throughout the year so maybe this time we can push for a good finish and to get some more points for the championship.h  

Munchifs Ford World Rally Team Driver Federico Villagra said:
gFor me New Zealand is a rally I like very much but it can also be very tricky especially if the conditions are wet. We had a good result here last year and also in 2005 when I was in the PWRC. The stages are very much like Finland only with much less jumps so for me this is very enjoyable. Having Henning in the team is a big help because he has a lot of experience especially on fast gravel. He has already scored some good points for the Munchifs team this year as we try and stay ahead of Suzuki in the championship. I have been racing in Argentina and we won the rally on the weekend so things are feeling pretty good with my driving at the moment.h   

Duval dashes in for Stobartfs NZ challenge

Posted: August 24, 2008 6:39 PM

Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin and François Duval/Patrick Pivato will head to the southern hemisphere for round 11 of the FIA World Rally Championship next week; Repco Rally New Zealand. With regular Stobart VK M-Sport Ford rally team member Gigi Galli sidelined after last weekfs accident in Germany, Duval has been called up for the NZ event after his impressive third place result on the German stages.  

Usually a team may only change one element of its submitted entry for an event but due to the obvious safety issue brought about by a language barrier, the FIA granted permission for the team to use Duval, and regular co-driver Pivato, to replace Galli and co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini.  

Historically speaking the Stobart brand has always travelled well in the Land of the Long White Cloud with last yearfs event seeing all three crews finish inside the top-ten. 2007 was also a record year for the closest winning rally margin when Marcus Grönholm defeated Sebestien Loeb by the narrowest of gaps; 0.3 seconds.  

Of the two Stobart drivers Duval comes in as the most experienced with three New Zealand rallies under his belt. The Belgian has had mixed fortunes since his first event in 2003 but his most promising came on his last attempt in 2005 when he finished fourth overall.  

For Wilson this will be his third start at Rally New Zealand with the youngsterfs best ever result coming last year when he finished 10th. The 21-year-old has always shown good improvements in pace on this event and will be looking to continue this form after his promotion to a nominated points scorer for the team.  

Rally New Zealand is a feature rally on the WRC calendar and this 29th edition of the event as a WRC round is shaping up to be one of the greatest yet. No fewer than 14 world rally cars have entered the event this year.  

Considered a driversf favourite, the rally is characterised by its fast, flowing and perfectly cambered roads which give the impression the cars are dancing as they hammer through the countryside of New Zealandfs north island. In the past, average speeds of well over 100kph have been the benchmark to win the event and itfs these exciting elements that make it a true favourite with competitors.  

Crews will travel 354.58 kilometres of competitive stage distance over 16 demanding stages based around the eventfs headquarters in Hamilton. This year again sees stages run in the Raglan region and along the western coastline of the north island which offer spectators some of the most picturesque scenery in the world. After a successful event on the Pirelli PZero in Germany last week where they picked up their 150th WRC victory, the tyre manufacturer will be providing the Stobart squad with the Scorpion gravel tyre for New Zealand.   

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver François Duval said:
gI havenft competed in New Zealand for two years so it will be difficult going back there with some new stages and knowing most of the other competitors have the advantage of experience on the roads. But I know that the Ford Focus is a fantastic car on gravel and that is a good feeling for me; I am confident that I will be able to a find a comfortable setting with it quite soon. It is also a benefit to have spent time in the car just last week. My plan for the rally is firstly to try and finish in the points and if the confidence is good then maybe I will be able to increase the speed.h  

Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Driver Matthew Wilson said: gThis is probably my favourite event so Ifm really looking forward to it and getting back on gravel after Germany. We are also nominated to score points on what is one of my stronger events so hopefully we can help the Stobart team out in New Zealand. I like the nature of the stages and the camber of the corners plus the high speeds which give the event a Finland sort of feel. I have heard reports of quite bad weather recently in Hamilton so it will be interesting to see how the stages hold up once we are out there.h   Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Team Principal Malcolm Wilson said: gNew Zealand is a classic event and certainly one of the driversf favourites. I know Matthew likes the surface and the characteristics of the roads so it will be a good chance for him to put what he has learnt in Finland to good use, now that he is nominated for points for the Stobart team. François brings a wealth of experience to the squad and we can see that, after his great result in Germany last week, he is getting much more familiar with the car. He has proved his pace on fast gravel before so I think we have a solid pairing here to pick up a strong points haul for the Stobart team.h

Posted: January 28, 2008 10:43 PM

Rally New Zealand

• 2008 World Rally Championship