Event Bulletin
12 Oct. 2003
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Rallye de France - Tour de Corse
17 to 19 Oct. 2003
|
|
|
Itinerary | |
|
| Entry List | |||
| Course Map | |||
| Results | |||
 |
Pre Release | ||
| Leg1 Report | |||
| Leg2 Report | |||
| Leg3 Report | |||
| Gallery | |||
|
PCWRC |
|
Preview
Event Bulletin
12 Oct. 2003 |
||
|
The Event 
With three asphalt events scheduled for the same month, October is the busiest of the season for the WRC manufacturer teams. Less than two weeks after the conclusion of Rallye Sanremo, teams are already returning to the Mediterranean for the start of round 12 of the FIA World Rally Championship, Tour de Corse, before moving directly to round 13, Rally Catalunya.As the middle of three Mediterranean tarmac events, Tour de Corse, held on the French island of Corsica, is renowned for its mixture of tight mountain turns, long stages and an abrasive asphalt road surface. Contested on narrow contour-hugging roads in the mountains, the event is so twisty that it's referred to as the 'Rally of the 10,000 corners', while sticky tyres, high-speed corners and late braking mean that in the car the driver and co-driver will be subjected to the highest g-forces seen in the whole WRC. This year the event reverts to October, when the unpredictable autumnal weather conditions can make tyre selection difficult. Bright sunshine can give way to rain in a matter of minutes, and accurate weather forecasting will be critical for a good result. Following a ceremonial start in the island's capital of Ajaccio on Thursday evening, the event begins proper on Friday morning when competitors will travel north to contest a loop of three stages, which are then repeated. Comprising three legs in total, and a competitive distance of 397.40km, Tour de Corse includes eight repeated stages, the longest being the 40.94km Col de Carazzi and the shortest the 14.64km Cargese-Paomia. There will be a single service area near to Ajaccio's airport and the winning car is expected to cross the finish podium at 1430hrs on Sunday 19 October Entries The 555 Subaru World Rally Team will be entering two Subaru Impreza WRC2003's in the Tour de Corse, driven by Petter Solberg and Tommi M?inen. Both will be eligible to score Manufacturers' points for the team. Having participated in the event seven times previously, last year Tommi retired from fourth place overall. Petter finished in fifth place and picked up valuable Manufacturers' points for Subaru. Driver Quotes Petter Solberg "My plan is to look ahead now. For me, there's no reason to dwell on Sanremo, that's history and so I'm just looking forward to Corsica and what I need to do there. The plan is to start the next event with a similar set up to that with which we finished in Italy. It felt very good, I was comfortable driving, but I still think we need to find something more. I'm currently testing with the team and the results have been encouraging. Hopefully, everything will come together next week and I can finish on the podium. I'm still hungry for success, still hungry for the World Championship title, the whole team are working very hard, but we'll just have to see what we can do." Tommi Mäkinen 
"I like the asphalt events being run so close together, it's a good way to do them. You can really concentrate on your driving style, rather than switching between tarmac and gravel surfaces, and get the best from the car. Of course, it's difficult if you want to fit in more testing as there's not so much time, but you can find a good driving rhythm, and that's good fun. Sanremo is normally a faster event than Corsica, as Corsica is more twisty and rough, but the driving style for both events is very similar. I had a good feeling in the car in Sanremo so it should be a good event, I'm looking forward to it."The Car / The Challenge 555 Subaru World Rally Team Principal, David Lapworth "Corsica is bumpier, twistier and more abrasive than the other two Mediterranean tarmac events, and looking at this year's route it seems that it will be even more twisty than usual. The stages to the north of Ajaccio are very abrasive and with the roads winding through the mountains the event should be very challenging with plenty of character. Corsica's bumpy tarmac surface generally gives a higher level of grip than the stages in Italy, but they also place a huge pressure on the tyres, and so the tendency will be to use harder compounds than we did in Sanremo. We'll be keeping a close eye on the weather too. A lot can change in a short time on these tarmac rallies, and providing you're not too far away from the leaders, a good tyre decision can make or break an event. In terms of mechanical specification, our Corsica cars are very similar to the ones we used in Sanremo. The set up will be comparable, but due to the rougher road surface the ride height on both cars will be raised slightly to give more ground clearance. After a successful debut in Sanremo, Petter's car will again be fitted with the team's specially developed roll control system and the new electronic control system." Between the Rallies With just seven days between the end of the Sanremo rally and start of the recce in Corsica, our Subaru team drivers have had little chance to get up to much this week... 
Following his retirement from the Sanremo event, Petter remained in the Italian Riviera for a couple of days to spend some time with the 12 family and friends who had travelled there to see him. After a
meeting with the 555 Subaru team on Monday, the Norwegian returned to Monaco to see his wife Pernilla and son, Oliver and the family grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds (Oliver's choice), before doing a spot of shopping. The trio then spent a couple of days resting in Monaco before Petter travelled to the two-day Subaru test in Italy. Today is Petter's second day at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza as he completes the pre-event asphalt test in preparation for the rally next weekend.Petter's team-mate Tommi managed to find some time to enjoy a relaxing yachting holiday with some friends off the southern French coast. Also a resident in Monaco, he returned to the Principality on Wednesday night and has since been spending time with his family, resting and exercising. He will arrive in Corsica on Sunday. |
||
 | ||
|
|