The four-day session at the Circuit des Ecuyeres in Fary allowed both drivers to sample their Ford Fiesta RS World Rally Car in wet and dry conditions around the 3km track. With wet weather a constant threat on the speed tests near Trier, close to the Luxembourg border in south-west Germany, the conditions provided perfect preparation for what the team might encounter on the rally.
”Using a circuit gave us a consistent location in which we could learn more about the Fiesta RS WRC in asphalt set-up,” explained team director Malcolm Wilson. ”Driving on the same stretch of track enabled us to understand accurately how small modifications to the set-up of the car affected its handling and performance.”
Although the season-opening Rallye Monte-Carlo was based on the asphalt roads of the French Alps, snow and ice and the use of studded tyres made it a specialised rally. Rallye Deutschland, which this year celebrates its 10th anniversary in the WRC, is the first fixture since then to use asphalt and is regarded as the first traditional sealed surface round.
It is the first of three predominantly asphalt encounters in the final five rounds, and perhaps the most difficult. The threat of inclement weather combined with the ever-changing characteristics and surface of the special stages makes this one of the most unpredictable rallies of the year.
The stages cover three vastly different types of road. Bumpy, narrow tracks among the vineyards on the banks of the Mosel river comprise the first and third legs. Fast sections linked by sharp hairpin bends trace an undulating route as the roads zig-zag across the hillsides among the grapes. Overhanging vines frequently hide corners and it is hard to find a rhythm over the artificial tracks.
The public roads that wind through the Saarland countryside in the second leg are faster and more flowing, but the wooded tests can be treacherously slippery in the wet.
However, the Baumholder military land, used by US soldiers for tank training, provides the sternest challenge. Wide asphalt contrasts with bumpy and abrasive concrete, which demands high durability from Michelin’s tyres. The slightest mistake can be punished by high kerbstones, known as hinkelsteins, which line the roads to keep the tanks in position. The tracks are always dirty, a mix of sand and gravel making them slippery in both the dry and wet.
Latvala, partnered by Miikka Anttila, has good experience of the rally after eight previous starts, and says his much-improved asphalt form and recent tests have left him well-prepared for its demands.
”I’ve never been as competitive on asphalt as I was at the end of last year, and that gives me a lot of confidence. Both myself and the Fiesta RS WRC have really taken a step forward in that respect, and we know the car is well-balanced and competitive on every surface. We left the test in France with some good ideas and having done a lot of tyre testing in mixed weather conditions,” said the Finn.
”For me, Germany is the most difficult asphalt rally of the year. The stages are very enjoyable, but tyre choice is always extremely tricky and the hinkelsteins are very unforgiving; if you go wide in the Baumholder section, you pay a heavy price. However, whilst before we went there thinking a podium would be great, now we know we’ve genuinely got a chance of fighting for victory.”
Solberg, co-driven by Chris Patterson, has even more knowledge of the event with nine starts to his name. The Norwegian was denied a potential podium in Germany in 2011 by a series of punctures.
”I like Rallye Deutschland a lot; it’s always a fantastic event, with a really good atmosphere and lots of fans, and it will be good to get back onto asphalt for the first time since Monte-Carlo. Obviously I still don’t have masses of experience with the Fiesta RS WRC on asphalt, but the general feeling is good so it will be interesting to see how we compare to our opposition in Germany,” said Solberg.
”With the vineyards and military area, Rallye Deutschland is not like other asphalt rallies. The biggest challenge is the changeable surface and grip levels, and the Baumholder with its hinkelsteins is particularly tricky – especially if it rains! The key will be to stay out of trouble and see what happens.”
Team News
* Michelin’s Pilot Sport asphalt tyres will be used by the Ford drivers and will be available in hard compound for dry conditions and soft compound for wet or cold weather. Each driver has an allocation of 32 hard and 22 soft tyres, and can use a maximum of 40 during the rally. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the tyres and each car can carry two spare wheels.
* Five crews will compete in privately-run Fiesta RS WRCs. Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk and Evgeny Novikov / Nicolas Klinger (standing in for Denis Giraudet) are nominated by M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, while Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson represent Adapta World Rally Team. Martin Prokop / Zdeněk Hrůza crew the Czech Ford National Team car, with Brazil World Rally Team entering Daniel Oliveira / Carlos Magalhäes.
* The rally marks the fourth round of the Ford Racing-supported FIA WRC Academy. Eleven young drivers will campaign identical Fiesta R2 cars over the opening two days of the main event. The series is led by Elfyn Evans.
* Petter Solberg will drive a Fiesta RS WRC at tomorrow’s (Saturday) Rallyday show at Castle Combe race circuit in Britain. It will be Solberg’s first appearance at the non-competitive event.
Rally Route
The format is similar to previous years with Trier hosting the service park and the city’s historic Porta Nigra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the location for Thursday evening’s start ceremony and Sunday’s finish. While the stage locations are also familiar, all but one of the 15 tests are used in a new configuration to keep competitors on their toes. Friday’s action is based in the Mosel vineyards before Saturday’s leg, the longest of the rally, takes in a mix of Mosel, Saarland and Baumholder tests. There are two visits to a short remote service zone at Birkenfeld. The final day comprises just two passes over another Mosel test before a spectacular Power Stage in the streets around Porta Nigra, the only unchanged route from 2011, with bonus points on offer to the fastest three drivers. Competitors face 15 stages covering 368.63km in a route of 1113.59km.
RALLYE DEUTSCHLAND
ROUND 9 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
23 – 26 August 2012
Friday 24 August: Day 1: Trier – Trier
Start Trier Messepark 10.00
SS1 Mittelmosel 1 24.90km 10.48
SS2 Moselland 1 22.79km 11.36
SS3 Grafschaft 1 21.23km 12.29
Serv A Trier Messepark (30 mins) 14.59
SS4 Mittelmosel 2 24.90km 16.17
SS5 Moselland 2 22.79km 17.05
SS6 Grafschaft 2 21.23km 17.58
Serv B Trier Messepark (flexi 45 mins) 19.28
Finish Trier Viehmarkt 20.28
Total 137.84km
Saturday 25 August: Day 2: Trier – Trier
Start Trier Viehmarkt 07.00
Serv C Trier Messepark (15 mins) 07.10
SS7 Stein & Wein 1 26.54km 07.58
SS8 Peterberg 1 9.37km 09.01
RSZ Birkenfeld (15 mins) 09.54
SS9 Arena Panzerplatte 1 46.54km 10.52
Serv D Trier Messepark (30 mins) 13.40
SS10 Stein & Wein 2 26.54km 14.43
SS11 Peterberg 2 9.37km 15.46
RSZ Birkenfeld (15 mins) 16.39
SS12 Arena Panzerplatte 2 46.54km 17.37
Serv E Trier Messepark (flexi 45 mins) 19.37
Finish Trier Viehmarkt 20.37
Total 164.90km
Sunday 26 August: Day 3: Trier – Trier
Start Trier Viehmarkt 08.00
Serv F Trier Messepark (15 mins) 08.10
SS13 Dhrontal 1 30.76km 09.13
SS14 Dhrontal 2 30.76km 11.36
SS15 SSS Circus Maximus Trier 4.37km 13.21
Serv G Trier Messepark (10 mins) 13.39
Finish Porta Nigra, Trier 15.45
Total 65.89km
Rally total 368.63km
