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Petter Solberg Takes 2nd Place in Drivers' Series
Young Newcomer Mikko Hirvonen Shows Rapid Improvement
Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT), the works team of SUBARU in the World Rally Championship, entered two cars in the 2004 season, the IMPREZA WRC2003 (Rd. 1 and 2) and the IMPREZA WRC2004 (Rd. 3-16, both World Rally Cars). Driver Petter Solberg from Norway scored five wins from 16 rallies to clinch second position in the drivers' championship, despite four non-finishes. Meanwhile, up-and-coming youngster Mikko Hirvonen, in his second full WRC season and first year with SWRT, also made good progress throughout the season with stage wins in Argentina and his home country, Finland.
The IMPREZA WRC2004, SWRT's entry from Round 3, Rally Mexico, could make substantial modifications from its 2003 specifications, including its body shell, engine, suspension, electrical system and aerodynamics, making good use of the updated technical regulations of the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA). The result was a state-of-the-art model of a world rally car that already had a solid reputation in world rallying. The SUBARU IMPREZA WRC2004 emerged from the optimum application of engineering skills of Japan's Subaru Technica International (STI) and Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) and Britain's Subaru World Rally Team. The technical teams from both countries worked closer together than ever before during their 14-month design and development project which culminated in the new model.
Apart from taking second place in this year's drivers' championship and winning five out of the total 16 races, Petter Solberg also clinched 95 stage wins, the highest among all the drivers and a huge 25 more than the second best driver. This was proof of his top-level world class performance, despite missing out on a successive world title. New team member Mikko Hirvonen also gained some solid experience in an Impreza, responding to Subaru's well-established competitiveness and showing his potential with a number of stage wins.
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2004 World Rally Championship SWRT Rally Summary
Rd.1 Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo - January 22-25 Monaco
The traditional opening WRC event is the Rallye Monte Carlo. The course threads its way through the Alps, where unpredictable weather can change conditions in an instant. This was the first race for SWRT's new driver line-up of Petter Solberg and Mikko Hirvonen, and the course proved as difficult as ever due to the weather. Solberg had worked his way steadily up to fifth position by the middle of the race and, despite an unlucky accident towards the end, managed to finish in the points. Hirvonen received a painful baptism in his first race in an Impreza WRC2003, leaving the course on Leg two and retiring with suspension damage.
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Rd.2 Uddeholm Swedish Rally - February 5-8 Sweden
Held in the cold mid-winter climate of Northern Europe, the Swedish Rally is a high-speed course where cars reach top speeds of 200km/h. The event is characterized by the studded tyres used to gain some grip on the snow-covered surface. This year, in the search for more snow, stages were moved further north than usual. Under the slippery conditions, but Solberg spun several times but produced steady speeds in his Impreza WRC2003 on the variable surface to take third place, his best ever result in the Swedish Rally. In his second appearance in this event, Hirvonen also contributed to the manufacturer's points by finishing in ninth position.
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Rd.3 Corona Rally Mexico - March 11-14 Mexico
This was the first ever Rally Mexico, and the sole WRC event on the North American continent. The first WRC race to be held at altitudes of 2000 meters adopted a 2 + 3 day format, with a new rule introduced to restrict the number of tyre changes throughout the entire race to the number x 10. In the season's first real gravel event, SWRT threw the Impreza WRC2004 into action. Solberg was superb as the new model clocked the fastest time on its debut stage, but then, while still in the lead at the end of the first day, he developed battery trouble during the final service stop. The dream of the new machine winning on its debut race was broken when Solberg incurred a five-minute penalty for infringing the rule forbidding assistance, because of a push-start by spectators outside the service area. But he staged a recovery, mounting a charge over the last two days to finish in fourth position overall. Hirvonen, meanwhile, finished in fifth place, his personal best WRC result.
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Rd.4 Propecia Rally New Zealand - April 15-18 New Zealand
At Rally New Zealand in the southern hemisphere, held in early autumn since last year, the Mille Pistes format was introduced for the first time in WRC history, with a second recce on the same day of competition. After a superb debut performance in the previous round, the Impreza WRC2004 showed its strength again on the high-speed stages in New Zealand with Solberg holding the lead from Day 1. This victory was not only Solberg's first success at this venue, but also the first ever for the car on only its second competitive outing, and a memorable 40th win for Subaru. Hirvonen also put on a generally solid display to finish seventh overall earning valuable points for himself and the team.
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Rd.5 Cyprus Rally - May 13-16 Cyprus
The WRC moved to blisteringly hot Cyprus for the first of a series of three Mediterranean rounds. After his first season win last time out in New Zealand, Solberg had started to develop muscle ache due to a steering problem, and decided to interrupt his testing to be on the safe side in his search for a successive championship. He was ready for Cyprus. Solberg held the overall lead in the early stages, but in the middle of the first day his car developed radiator trouble. Trying to recover from losing nine minutes, he put on a fine display in the remaining days, scoring a series of stage wins and finishing in sixth position. Meanwhile, Hirvonen finished seventh overall in his first rough gravel event since joining SWRT. Their positions were later upgraded to fourth and fifth after post-race scrutineering found water pump regulation violations which led to the disqualification of Peugeot's winning car and fifth place car.
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Rd.6 Acropolis Rally - June 3-6 Greece
Greece this year was in the grip Olympic fever, but the Acropolis Rally was the same as it is every year, an extremely tough event taking crew and machine along twisty, rough mountain roads in searing heat and choking dust. Solberg built a 55-second lead on the first day with five consecutive stage wins despite incurring a penalty in the service area on Leg two for not having mud flaps fitted. This did not affect his position, however, and he continued to drive intelligently until the end to clinch his first ever Acropolis Rally victory. Solberg was now the only driver to have gained points in every round. Hirvonen was also running in a points position until Leg two, when he was unfortunate to hit a large rock and had to retire.
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Rd.7 Rally of Turkey - June 24-27 Turkey
Making its second appearance in the WRC calendar, the Rally of Turkey was moved this time from February to June, ensuring that the scorching conditions of the previous two events would continue. The rough surfaces and low speed, twisty stages were punishing for the machines, and each driver met with a succession of accidents in the tricky conditions of hot, dry climate and damp surfaces. Solberg, too, had trouble with his engine's air intake while going through a water splash, and Hirvonen suffered radiator damage from stones, but their skill saw both drivers through to the end of the WRC's best survival race. Solberg clinched third place and his fourth podium finish of the year, while Hirvonen took sixth place to earn more valuable points.
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Rd.8 Rally Argentina - July 15-18 Argentina
The first ever 16-round World Rally Championship headed back to the Americas for Rally Argentina, often cited as the most beautiful rally of the year. This year the high altitude event was held in mid-winter, when temperatures ranging from 20 degrees to below freezing created extremely harsh driving conditions. On a combination of different types of road surface, tyre restrictions also made it very difficult to select the correct tyres. Having set a record of 11 straight complete races, Solberg was forced to retire on the first day of this Argentine challenge due to mechanical trouble. However, second driver Hirvonen drove consistently and steadily to show how much he has grown, registering his first ever stage win on the loose gravel of Leg three and eventually clinching a WRC personal best finish of fourth place. This was a superb performance after Solberg had to pull out, and earned him and the team some useful points.
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Rd.9 Neste Rally Finland - August 5-8 Finland
The WRC round held in Finland, the spiritual home of rallying, is often referred to as the "Finnish Grand Prix", and drivers reach breathtaking speeds of more than 200km/h while negotiating numerous blind crests and long jumps. Hopes were high in the SWRT camp, with Solberg's second place here last year and Hirvonen racing in his home country, but against all expectations the race turned out to be a bitter experience for the team. Solberg came off the course after a half-spin on Leg one and hit a rock concealed by grass to become the first casualty of this high-speed stage. The high speeds suit youngster Hirvonen, who was lying in fifth place overall and keeping up a steady pace until the final Super SS in Leg one when he came off the course at a wide corner. SWRT was suddenly out of the race, the team's first no-pointer of the season.
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Rd.10 OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland - August 19-22 Germany
From the smooth gravel of Rally Finland, the WRC switched to the all-tarmac Rallye Deutchland. With this year's rally scheduled in August, when weather conditions tend to be changeable, the event's mix of road surfaces and tricky stages posed a tough challenge for drivers. With the ban on gravel crews from this year, tyre selection has become extremely difficult. Lying in fourth place on Day 1, Solberg began to attack aggressively, but was forced to retire after an accident on the military facility stage when he came off the course in the wet conditions and hit a concrete curbstone. With the hopes of SWRT all on the shoulders of Hirvonen in his Impreza WRC2004, which was relatively untested on tarmac, the Finn drove carefully and solidly to finish in the points in eighth position. His mission to earn points for the team was accomplished.
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Rd.11 Rally Japan - September 2-5 Hokkaido, Japan
Subaru were competing on cherished home ground in the first ever Rally Japan to be included in the WRC calendar, based in Obihiro, Hokkaido. More than 50,000 people lined the streets of the host city for the ceremonial start to watch Solberg and the Impreza WRC2004 in their first competitive start on Japanese soil. Flying along the smooth gravel set out on the Tokachi Plains, Solberg took the lead from the very first stage and never relinquished it, going on to clinch victory and become the first ever Rally Japan winner. This remarkable comeback after his accident last time out in Germany thrilled the Japanese rally fans. Hirvonen also demonstrated the pace of the Subaru Impreza WRC2004 in front of its home audience with some third-fastest times. Despite encountering a gear selection problem on the final day, he fixed it himself and rejoined the race. His seventh position finish earned more points for himself and the team.
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Rd.12 Wales Rally GB - September 16-19 Britain
Traditionally the final round of the Championship, the British event was shifted from November to the British autumn in the hope of better weather, but conditions turned out to be muddy as usual. This is a memorable event for Solberg, who has won the last two WRC races in Wales as well as clinching a WRC title here. It also seems to suit the team being back on home ground, as they have won six out of the last eight GB events. From Day 1, Solberg was running in second place and locked in a ferocious battle with leader Sebastien Loeb. He finally overtook in dramatic fashion on the stage before the final Super SS to win an incredible third successive Wales Rally GB. Hirvonen added to his experience behind the wheel of the Impreza WRC2004 with a seventh place finish.
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Rd.13 Supermag Rally Italia Sardinia - September 30-October 3 Italy
Previously known as an all-tarmac rally, the Italian round of WRC was switched for the first time to gravel. From twisty mountain roads, the race was moved to this island floating in the Mediterranean with its stages of sandy, smooth gravel. This is Pirelli's home event, and Solberg wanted to keep the pressure on in the title race after back-to-back wins on gravel in GB and Japan. Solberg led from SS1 and went on to complete his third successive victory on gravel, winning by an overwhelming margin of more than two minutes ahead of second-placed Loeb. Having retired on Leg one with a gearbox oil leak, Hirvonen took advantage of the WRC restart regulations from Leg two and demonstrated his potential in Leg three by recording a string of top three stage times.
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Rd.14 Rallye de France - Tour de Corse - October 14-17 France
As the season was drawing to an end, series leader Loeb had a chance to clinch the Championship in the first of two back-to-back tarmac races. Solberg earned his first tarmac WRC victory in the same event last year, and this time was aiming to stop Loeb's challenge for a second successive drivers' title. However, in Corsica's changeable climate SWRT were severely restricted as their tyre strategy failed to pay off, although Solberg drove like a demon to take fifth place. Loeb, meanwhile, made the most of his home advantage, doing just enough to finish in second place and settle the title race before the final race of the season. This result also handed the manufacturers' title to Citroen.
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Rd.15 Rallye Catalunya - October 28-31 Spain
Although the title race was wrapped up last time, Solberg and the SWRT team were still competing hard for second place ahead of the Spanish round, the final tarmac event of the year. In contrast with Corsica's twisty course, pace notes are essential in Catalunya for drivers to take the fastest line on its wide and fast stages. Both SWRT drivers struggled through the stages at the mercy of the capricious Spanish autumn weather but managed to avoid serious trouble and finish in the points, Solberg in fifth place and Hirvonen in eighth. Solberg would have to wait until the last race of the season in Australia to try to seal second place in the Championship.
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Rd.16 Telstra Rally Australia - November 11-14 Australia
For the first time in the history of the WRC, the final round would take place in the southern hemisphere. The hugely popular Australian round is run on high-speed road surfaces covered in slippery, marble-like gravel, and this year's event had the additional dimension of being moved forward to the warmer climate of early summer. Like the tricky road surface, this rally was going to be a real battle. Three drivers were in the fight for second place in the series. Carlos Sainz, who had announced his intention to retire from racing at the end of the season, withdrew after crashing during the recce, while Markko Martin developed engine trouble on the opening Super SS and had to retire the following day when he was unable to make the necessary repairs in the morning service. This was the moment that decided Solberg's second place in the Championship. He was still aiming for his sixth victory of the year, but while making a fierce attack on the leader he came off the course and sadly had to retire. Meanwhile, Hirvonen delivered a solid performance through the challenging stages of Rally Australia to finish in fourth place and match his personal best result in WRC. His seventh place in the series shows how much he has improved in his first year with SWRT.
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