Ford takes aim at WRC title
Just 65 days after ending the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship with victory in Britain, a new-look Ford World Rally Team begins its 2012
campaign this week on the most famous rally of all.
After a three-year absence, the classic Rallye Monte-Carlo (17-22 January) returns to the series to provide rally teams with what could
be the most unpredictable fixture of the 13-round campaign.
Much is new in the Ford team. The squad has a new identity and its Fiesta RS World Rally Car, which locked out the podium places on that
final round in Britain last November, carries a striking new livery. Lead drivers Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila are joined by former
world rally champion Petter Solberg and co-driver Chris Patterson, who bring a wealth of experience to the Ford line-up.
The Monte Carlo Rally breaks the mould for modern WRC events with a format that turns the clock back more than 15 years. It offers five
days of competition covering more than 433 stage km, and is the longest WRC event since Kenya’s Safari Rally in 2002.
It is initially based in Valence, before heading south to its spiritual home among the glitz and glamour of Monaco. It is essentially a tarmac
event on technically straightforward roads, but unpredictable weather can make it devilishly difficult.
Drivers can face dry roads, streaming wet tarmac, ice and snow. They can often encounter all on the same special stage as the route
climbs and descends inhospitable mountain cols, switching from sheltered southern-facing roads to exposed northern routes.
As a result the rally can be won or lost on tyre choice alone. Each test within a group of special stages must be tackled on the same
rubber, often chosen several hours earlier. There is no perfect choice in such rapidly-changing weather, and frequently the secret for
success is selecting compromise tyres which lose the least time in the ‘wrong’ conditions.
Making the correct choice places a huge emphasis on support personnel. They are located at strategic points to relay weather updates,
while both Latvala and Solberg have a pace note checking crew which drives the stages before they go live to provide the latest information.
This is used by the co-drivers to update their pace notes and offers crucial knowledge when considering tyre selection.
26-year-old Latvala, who has four Monte Carlo Rally starts to his name, is hoping to build on new-found confidence on tarmac towards the
end of last season.
“I feel I’m more competitive on tarmac than ever,” he said. “All the pieces are there for a successful year – a strong team, a
competitive car and two good drivers. We need to put them together for the entire season, and if we do that then we can fight for the
manufacturers’ and drivers’ world titles. I’ve driven a Ford for several years, but this season I believe we have the best chance of
winning.
“The team started 2010 and 2011 with a victory. It will be hard to win against the tarmac experts but a top-three finish would be a
good start to the season ahead of rallies that suit me more. The roads are fast and follow the side of the mountains or the rivers in the
valleys. The tarmac is old in places, so it’s bumpy and the grip level changes.
“This is a classic rally. It’s challenging and stressful in equal measure. You have to think about the weather and tyre choice. When
we’re in the service park at sea level in Monte Carlo, we must predict what the weather will be like in the mountains at 1200m and make a
selection accordingly. A wrong choice can cost several seconds per kilometre, so it can win or lose the rally,” added the Finn.
Solberg understands the event’s intricacies as well as any current driver with eight WRC starts there. After joining the team before
Christmas, he has completed only two days of testing in a Fiesta RS WRC but the 37-year-old Norwegian doesn’t see that as a disadvantage.
“My first test was in difficult conditions and I quickly developed a good feeling,” he said. “I competed there last year, when it
wasn’t a WRC round, so I know all the stages except the two new ones. I enjoy the rally, although the conditions can be tough. There are
no real difficulties if it’s dry, but if it’s wet we can expect black ice and snow. Managing tyre choice in such circumstances requires
a good team set-up, with a strong strategy and access to the most-up-to-date weather information. Coming back to Ford is exciting and the
chance to drive for a manufacturer again is why I ran my own team for the last three seasons. I’m not here just to make up the numbers.
Jari-Matti and I want to fight for titles and I believe we can.”
Patterson will make his 100th WRC start as Solberg's co-driver..
Seven privately-entered Fiesta RS WRCs supplement the official cars. Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk and Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet are
nominated by M-Sport Ford World Rally Team, which has also entered 1994 Monte Carlo winner François Delecour / Dominique Savignoni. Martin
Prokop / Jan Tomanek are entered by the Czech Ford National Team while individual entries have been placed by Matthew Wilson / Scott Martin,
Henning Solberg / Ilka Minor and Julien Maurin / Olivier Ural.
Rally Route
After Tuesday’s start ceremony in Valence, the opening three days are based around the city. The first two legs on Wednesday and
Thursday include more than 130km of competition each in the Ardèche region, to the west. Friday’s third leg covers stages east of Valence
in the Vercors mountains and Haute Loire region, before the long journey south to Monaco. A Saturday afternoon restart precedes two loops of
two tests in the Alpes Maritimes, including a double pass over the legendary Col de Turini. The single 5.16km Power Stage concludes the
action on Sunday morning, with bonus points available to the fastest three drivers. The finish ceremony takes place at Monaco’s Palace on
Sunday afternoon. Drivers tackle 18 stages covering 433.36km in a route of 1780.47km.
-Ford-