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Petter Solberg Takes Second Place in Drivers' Championship
Fine Displays by Rookies Chris Atkinson and Stephane Sarrazin
Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT), SUBARU's works team in the World Rally Championship, entered two IMPREZA WRC2004 world rally cars in Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2005 season and three IMPREZA WRC2005 world rally cars from Round 3 to Round 16. Norwegian Petter Solberg drove his car to three wins out of 16 events, finishing second in the drivers' championship despite being forced to retire from two races. Meanwhile, Australian Chris Atkinson, the up-and-coming youngster participating in his first full year in WRC, joined the team and took part in every race except the season opener. In spite of his inexperience, he recorded numerous stage wins against former WRC champions, fourth best in total, and even clinched one podium finish. Stephane Sarrazin of France, participating in the tarmac events as the manufacturer's nominee, finished his first year of the SWRT Training Program having clocked a number of impressive stage times and, in Round 14, Cyprus Rally, equaling his personal best finish of fourth place.
The SUBARU IMPREZA WRC2005, entered into competition by SWRT from Round 3, Rally Mexico, represents the UK-Japan collaboration between the engineering and design teams of Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI)/STI and SWRT. Styled by FHI's design team led by Andreas Zapatinas, chief designer of Advanced design, the new machine also features numerous engine and chassis improvements, a wider track and composite body panels. Built to take full advantage of the FIA's revised rules on rally car dimensions, the body shell of the IMPREZA WRC2005 is 30mm wider than the 2004 model, while the front and rear wheel arches provide a more elaborate and aggressive appearance. At the front end, the layout of the radiator and turbo intercooler employs the same V-shaped mount as before, but further refined. The re-styled bumper efficiently manages the flow of air around the front of the car and through the cooling systems.
After winning its debut race in Mexico, the IMPREZA WRC2005 continued to perform strongly, and yet driver Petter Solberg felt something was missing. That was the reason why victory continued to elude him. The production car development team at Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) listened to his concerns and suggested improvements to the rear suspension geometry. When the new suspension was certified and introduced for Rally Japan, the IMPREZA WRC2005 recovered its speed, and Petter Solberg was showing impressive form in Japan and Australia until accidents forced him to retire.
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2005 World Rally Championship SWRT Rally Summary
Rd.1 Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo - 21 to 23 January 2005 Monaco
The opening round of the WRC season is traditionally held at glamorous Monte Carlo. The course winds through twisty Alpine roads, and the unpredictable weather can change conditions in an instant. SWRT's drivers were Petter Solberg and newcomer Stephane Sarrazin. Although both cars suffered from brake problems from the early stages, Solberg finished Leg 1 in fourth place while Sarrazin made it into the top ten on his SWRT debut. Solberg continued his steady recovery by moving up the leaderboard into third position during the final day, but a small error on a snow-covered corner cost him dearly and he retired from the event after losing a wheel. Sarrazin, having retired from Leg 2 with steering failure, restarted Leg 3 in 24th position under this year's new Super-Rally regulations and recovered ten places in just six stages.
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Rd.2 Uddeholm Swedish Rally - 11 to 13 February 2005 Sweden
Held in the middle of the Scandinavian winter, when temperatures can drop as low as minus 30ºC, the Swedish Rally is a very fast event with drivers reaching speeds of up to 200kph. Another feature of this race is the studded tyres used to gain maximum traction on the icy surface. SWRT entered three drivers in this event, including Sarrazin and newcomer Chris Atkinson, who was making his team debut in his first ever snow rally. Solberg held second position overall at the end of the first day and moved into the lead by the end of Leg 2, then fought off the challenges of Sebastien Loeb and Marcus Gronholm to clinch his first ever Swedish title. Atkinson also gave an impressive performance in his first snow rally, climbing up to ninth overall at one point.
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Rd.3 Corona Rally Mexico - 11 to 14 March 2005 Mexico
The IMPREZA WRC2005 made its competitive debut at the second-ever Rally Mexico, the first gravel event of this year's series and run at high altitudes of over 2,000m above sea level. Solberg was already 20 seconds ahead of the second car by the end of the first stage, never relinquishing the lead on his way to a perfect victory in his new machine's first race. The result also elevated him to the top of the drivers' standings. Racing in Mexico for the first time, Atkinson demonstrated his potential by clocking a third-fastest time before retiring with a technical problem on the final stage.
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Rd.4 Propecia Rally New Zealand - 8 to 10 April 2005 New Zealand
The WRC stage moved next to the southern hemisphere for Rally New Zealand. After a perfect win in his car's competitive debut three weeks ago, Solberg now had his sights on a third consecutive victory. Despite higher temperatures than expected and the disadvantage of running first on the course, Solberg made full use of the performance of his IMPREZA WRC2005 to score a third-place podium finish and maintain his lead in the drivers' championship. Racing for the first time in New Zealand in a world rally car, Atkinson also put on a superb display of speed to claim the first two stage wins of his WRC career. His seventh place finished earned Championship points for both himself and the team.
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Rd.5 Supermag Rally Italia Sardinia - 29 April to 1 May 2005 Italia
Last year the Italian round was moved to the sandy, smooth gravel of Sardinia, which this time would be the first of four consecutive hot, gravel events. As series leader, Solberg had the disadvantage of running first on the road, but he put in a steady performance to hold on to second place from day one, finishing more than two minutes ahead of the third-placed driver and earning valuable series points. Both Atkinson drove well, even running in third place in Leg 1 for a time, although he had to retire from Leg 2. Sarrazin, competing in his first ever gravel rally, also pulled out of the second leg, but both he and Atkinson restarted and went on to gain more valuable experience.
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Rd.6 The Cyprus Rally - 13 to 15 May 2005 Cyprus
Second of the consecutive series of hot, gravel rallies, conditions in the twisty Cyprus Rally make it the slowest and roughest event of the season. Faced with some of the worst road conditions in a WRC event since the Safari Rally of Kenya, Solberg recorded the fastest time on SS1 but began to struggle when the heat caused his engine to switch to safe mode. An electric fault forced him out of the final stage of Leg 1, but he decided not to restart because of this year's new "two race engine" rule, taking into account the conditions for the next event. A damaged clutch on Atkinson's car on stage two sidelined him from Leg one of his first ever Cyprus Rally, but he re-joined the race from Leg 2 and finished in tenth position overall, gaining some useful experience for the next two rough gravel events.
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Rd.7 Rally of Turkey - 3 to 5 June 2005 Turkey
The Rally of Turkey was shifted last year from February to June, when the hot, dry climate and sometimes wet surfaces make driving conditions very tricky. Tyre selection is difficult because of sudden rain. Fourth overall on the opening day, Solberg adjusted his driving style on Leg 2 to cope with the changes in weather and ended the day in second position thanks also to a good tyre selection. After a battle with closest rival Gronholm on the final day, the Norwegian maintained this position to finish second in the event. Contesting his first ever race in Turkey, Atkinson pulled out of Leg 1 after it was found that he had damaged his fuel tank when hitting some rocks on a corner. He restarted the following day to gain more experience of this special event.
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Rd.8 Acropolis Rally Greece - 24 to 26 June 2005 Greece
The quartet of hot and rough Mediterranean gravel rallies came to an end with the Acropolis Rally. This year's event was started in a massive Super Special stage built in the Olympic Stadium, where 60,000 cheering spectators packed in to see the most extravagant stage of the season. As in previous years, the actual competition was held around the town of Lamia. Rocks, dust and the heat make this one of the toughest events, as Solberg found out on the second stage of the rally when he slid off the road and into a ditch. The accident caused his boot-lid to come off and affected his IMPREZA's steering. Having fallen back to 14th place he also had to deal with the disadvantageous starting order given on the second day, but brilliant performances eventually brought him back up to ninth place. Atkinson and Sarrazin also had a tough time in their first outings at the Acropolis, retiring from Leg 1 and restarting the race just to gain experience.
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Rd.9 Rally Argentina - 15 to 17 July 2005 Argentina
This year's 16-race World Rally Championship entered its second half in South America. After a series of four scorching rallies, the high altitude Rally Argentina was held in mid-winter, temperatures from 20ºC to below freezing posing a different set of challenging conditions. Apart from numerous surface changes, the fluctuating weather was difficult to predict. Solberg put on a superb display, setting a new record on the Carlos Paz stage and finishing Leg 1 in second place. A thrilling battle for the lead ensued with Loeb and Gronholm, but brake problems on the second day affected the Norwegian who eventually had to settle for third place on the podium. Atkinson also clocked some impressive times, finishing ninth in his first ever outing in Argentina.
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Rd.10 Neste Rally Finland - 5 to 7 August 2005 Finland
Held in the rally kingdom of Finland, this WRC round is characterized by its blind crests and long jumps, while the high speed course enables speeds of over 200km/h, giving the event its nickname of the "Finnish Grand Prix". Having tackled this race last year in a Group N specification IMPREZA, Atkinson was now behind the wheel of a more powerful World Rally machine, and he got off to a terrific start until hitting a rock on stage four. He restarted on Leg 2 and drove superbly to clock the third fastest time. Solberg was embroiled in another fierce battle for the lead before a split brake pipe forced him to ease off, but he carefully controlled his pace up to the final day to cross the finish ramp in fourth place and earn some valuable championship points.
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Rd.11 OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland - 26 to 28 August 2005 Germany
The World Rally Championship moved from the gravel of Finland to the all-asphalt round in Germany. The mix of road surfaces throughout the tricky stages combined with changeable weather conditions presented a tough challenge for the drivers. Sarrazin was entered as a nominated driver for the first time since Monte Carlo, but lost a lot of time on the first day after suffering a handbrake problem, while Solberg was also slowed down on Leg 2 with a gear selection problem. Both drivers made a spirited recovery to finish in the points, Solberg crossing the finish ramp in seventh place and Sarrazin in eighth. Atkinson had a trouble-free debut tarmac rally, driving steadily to finish in 11th place.
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Rd.12 Wales Rally GB - 16 to 19 September 2005 Great Britain
The traditional event in the World Rally Championship's history, Rally GB is the home event for SWRT. It also holds fond memories for Solberg, who clinched his 2003 World Championship in Wales. At the end of the first day he was holding second place overall, less than ten seconds behind leader Loeb, and these two battled for the lead up until Leg 3. But then tragedy struck on the second stage of the day when Markko Martin's Peugeot hit a tree, fatally injuring his co-driver, Michael Park. The rally was stopped and the two remaining stages abandoned. Unwilling to win the World title in such circumstances, Loeb deliberately checked in to a subsequent time control early to collect a time penalty, making Solberg the winner by default.
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Rd.13 Rally Japan - 30 September to 1 October 2005 Japan
SUBARU's home rally was included on the WRC calendar for the second year. This time, everyone was talking about the addition of a 50km stage, the longest of the entire Championship. Solberg was aiming for a second consecutive success here after his perfect win in the inaugural Rally Japan. This was a rare chance for Atkinson to use his past experience here, from the days when this event was Rally Hokkaido, part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. Indeed it was Atkinson who recorded the fastest times in the early stages, until stage four when team-mate Solberg moved into first place before going on to stretch his lead. But then, on the second stage of the last day, fate struck when Solberg hit a large rock on the road as he came out of a corner, bringing his rally to an abrupt end. His exit meant Atkinson moved up into third place for his first ever WRC podium finish. Loeb took second place to clinch his second consecutive drivers' title.
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Rd.14 Rallye de France - Tour de Corse - 21 to 23 October 2005 France
At Corsica and Spain, both tarmac races, the same chassis had to be used in an experiment for the 2007 season, when the existing event-pairing system of using one engine for two events will be extended to include the chassis too. The first of this pair of rallies was the Tour de Corse whose winding roads have earned it the nickname of "the rally of ten thousand corners". Home advantage is particularly significant in this event, and in fact only five non-French drivers had won here before. Solberg started well, lying in fourth overall at the end of the first day, while team-mate Sarrazin finished Leg 1 of his home event in fifth place, recording the third fastest time through the final pass. Solberg continued to reduce his times to cross the finish ramp in third place, a result that lifted him to second in the drivers' championship. Sarrazin also responded to the home fans with an overall fourth place finish to equal his previous best result in WRC.
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Rd.15 Rallye Catalunya - 28 to 30 October 2005 Spain
The final tarmac rally of the season was the Spanish round, moved this year to the Tarragona region, with some sections previously used in 2001 and 2002 appearing again. Sarrazin put on a great performance in the early stages of Leg1, finishing four of the first six stages in the top ten, but his rally came to a premature end when he come off the road on the final stage and badly damaged his car. Solberg also damaged his machine when he hit a bank in the third stage and seriously damaged his steering, so for the rest of the race he focused on testing his cars in rally conditions, gaining data that will be useful for the event here in March next year. Atkinson finished in ninth place overall after posting his personal best times on tarmac.
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Rd.16 Telstra Rally Australia - 11 to 14 November 2005 Australia
The World Rally Championship made its way to the other side of the globe for the finale of the 2005 season. Rally Australia is a popular event with its warm climate and high speed stages covered in ball bearing-shaped gravel. But like the difficult surface, the rally too became quite eventful. Gronholm, battling with Solberg for second place in the drivers' championship, developed broken suspension on Leg 1. Drama occurred when he was stopped by police on safety grounds while driving back to the service park, and he subsequently pulled out of the race and the rally. This was the moment when Solberg knew he'd clinched second place in the Driver's Championship. He was just trying to protect his comfortable overall lead when a sudden collision on Leg 2 with a hapless kangaroo destroyed his car's radiator, bringing his rally to an end. The nightmare of his retirement in Japan had returned. But Atkinson came through for SUBARU in his home event, recording the fastest time on nine of the 26 stages and finishing in fourth place, just six seconds off a podium place. This took his number of stage wins for the year to 15, a fine result to round off his first full year in the World Rally Championship.
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