Motorsports | Subaru Global

Preview
15 March 2002

The Event
Next Thursday 21 March, eleven days after crossing the finish ramp in Corsica, drivers will begin the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the 38th Rallye Catalunya.
The event is the third of five tarmac rounds in the 2002 championship and is renowned for its smooth, demanding stages and crowds of fanatical spectators. The asphalt event in north-eastern Spain is also a firm favourite with drivers.
Covering a total distance of almost 2000km, the event has 400km of special stages, and with the exception of the Safari Rally is the longest event in the WRC calendar. There are three legs comprising 18 stages, with the start and finish based at the Mediterranean holiday resort of Lloret de Mar. The event is also the second round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, and in total 75 cars are expected to start.

The event is based around two service parks. The Universal Studios theme park 'Port Aventura,' close to Tarragona, will host the teams on Friday 22 March. The location will change to the sports stadium in the town of Manlleu for Saturday and Sunday. Rally headquarters will be in the Hotel Olympic Park in Lloret. The character of the Rallye Catalunya stages differs throughout the event. For the southern stages of leg one, the roads are abrasive and bumpier than those in the north which are driven on legs two and three.
The six stages of leg one are based 200km down the coast from Lloret de Mar in the countryside around Port Aventura. For legs two and three (the remaining twelve stages of the event), the action takes place 100km north of Lloret around Manlleu.

Entries
The 555 Subaru World Rally Team will be entering two cars in Rallye Catalunya. Both Tommi Makinen and Petter Solberg will drive the latest homologation of the Impreza (the WRC2002) and both will be eligible to score Manufacturers' points.

Tommi Makinen

"We had a very good testing session and I think we managed to improve on some small areas which will make the car a little bit faster. We are pretty confident for Spain but like all the tarmac events, it depends a little bit on the weather conditions. Unfortunately we have not had a chance to do any wet condition testing so we do not have much knowledge about the tyre and wheel set-up on difficult conditions but I don't think we are far away. Spain has always been a favourite event for me and I'm looking forward to it. This year will see a big difference as the rally roads have changed a lot from previous years. There will be a lot of new roads for everyone to learn. I'm sure it will level out the playing field so the specialists do not have so much of an advantage. It will be important to ensure the set-up of the car is absolutely correct."

Petter Solberg
"We have already made good improvements since Corsica in the testing we have done this week. The car feels very good and Pirelli just keep raising their game and making more improvements with the tyres on tarmac set-ups. We are another step closer now than we were in Corsica. I'm looking forward to Spain, even though it's a rally on which I don't have a lot of experience. I did it for the first time last year and unfortunately I only lasted until stage three. That made me learn that it's a rally that I have to really respect. My plan is to take it steady over the first couple of legs to make sure that I get to the end. To begin with I am not going to push too hard and try to beat the Peugeots and Citroens but put myself in a favourable position to attack them towards the end of the event."

Between Rallies
Tommi flew directly from Corsica to Spain for pre-event testing. He tested on Tuesday 12 March, notching up 260km in the Subaru Impreza WRC2002. He is currently spending a few days at home before flying to Spain to prepare for the pre-event reconnaissance on Monday. Petter Solberg has had three days at home in the last three weeks. Like Tommi he flew straight from Corsica to Spain for some pre-event testing. He took over testing duties from Tommi on Wednesday 13 March and completed 280km on the twisty tarmac test roads.

		Itinerary
		Entry List
		Course Map
		Results
		Pre Release
		Leg1 Report
		Leg2 Report
		Leg3 Report
		Gallery

555 Subaru World Rally Team - Rallye Catalunya Preview Preview 15 March 2002 The Event Next Thursday 21 March, eleven days after crossing the finish ramp in Corsica, drivers will begin the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the 38th Rallye Catalunya. The event is the third of five tarmac rounds in the 2002 championship and is renowned for its smooth, demanding stages and crowds of fanatical spectators. The asphalt event in north-eastern Spain is also a firm favourite with drivers. Covering a total distance of almost 2000km, the event has 400km of special stages, and with the exception of the Safari Rally is the longest event in the WRC calendar. There are three legs comprising 18 stages, with the start and finish based at the Mediterranean holiday resort of Lloret de Mar. The event is also the second round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, and in total 75 cars are expected to start. The event is based around two service parks. The Universal Studios theme park 'Port Aventura,' close to Tarragona, will host the teams on Friday 22 March. The location will change to the sports stadium in the town of Manlleu for Saturday and Sunday. Rally headquarters will be in the Hotel Olympic Park in Lloret. The character of the Rallye Catalunya stages differs throughout the event. For the southern stages of leg one, the roads are abrasive and bumpier than those in the north which are driven on legs two and three. The six stages of leg one are based 200km down the coast from Lloret de Mar in the countryside around Port Aventura. For legs two and three (the remaining twelve stages of the event), the action takes place 100km north of Lloret around Manlleu. Entries The 555 Subaru World Rally Team will be entering two cars in Rallye Catalunya. Both Tommi Makinen and Petter Solberg will drive the latest homologation of the Impreza (the WRC2002) and both will be eligible to score Manufacturers' points. Tommi Makinen "We had a very good testing session and I think we managed to improve on some small areas which will make the car a little bit faster. We are pretty confident for Spain but like all the tarmac events, it depends a little bit on the weather conditions. Unfortunately we have not had a chance to do any wet condition testing so we do not have much knowledge about the tyre and wheel set-up on difficult conditions but I don't think we are far away. Spain has always been a favourite event for me and I'm looking forward to it. This year will see a big difference as the rally roads have changed a lot from previous years. There will be a lot of new roads for everyone to learn. I'm sure it will level out the playing field so the specialists do not have so much of an advantage. It will be important to ensure the set-up of the car is absolutely correct." Petter Solberg "We have already made good improvements since Corsica in the testing we have done this week. The car feels very good and Pirelli just keep raising their game and making more improvements with the tyres on tarmac set-ups. We are another step closer now than we were in Corsica. I'm looking forward to Spain, even though it's a rally on which I don't have a lot of experience. I did it for the first time last year and unfortunately I only lasted until stage three. That made me learn that it's a rally that I have to really respect. My plan is to take it steady over the first couple of legs to make sure that I get to the end. To begin with I am not going to push too hard and try to beat the Peugeots and Citroens but put myself in a favourable position to attack them towards the end of the event." Between Rallies Tommi flew directly from Corsica to Spain for pre-event testing. He tested on Tuesday 12 March, notching up 260km in the Subaru Impreza WRC2002. He is currently spending a few days at home before flying to Spain to prepare for the pre-event reconnaissance on Monday. Petter Solberg has had three days at home in the last three weeks. Like Tommi he flew straight from Corsica to Spain for some pre-event testing. He took over testing duties from Tommi on Wednesday 13 March and completed 280km on the twisty tarmac test roads.