Gronholm bolder, Hirvonen braverFollowing the first six rounds of the 2007 WRC season, Ford World Rally Team driver
Marcus Gronholm lies second in the drivers' standings, just three points from the lead with five podium finishes to his credit.
As Rally d'Italia
Sardegna looms ever closer, Marcus talks about the upcoming challenge. "When we first started going to Sardinia the stages weren't so enjoyable but organisers have removed some of the roughest and narrowest roads and they are wider and faster now, although there are still plenty of narrow sections," he said.
"It's one of the most abrasive rounds of the championship and if the weather is hot it's important to think about looking after the tyres. But the pace is such that it's hard to think about driving at anything other than flat out.” Gronholm pointed out.
"We're making a few small set-up changes following Rally Argentina. There's nothing major, just a few small tweaks that we hope will make improvements.”
Catching up to current Championship leader
Sebastien Loeb is topmost on the ‘to-do' list as the gap between them presently stands at three points.
”The time difference between myself and Loeb on the first full day in Argentina was little more than a tenth of a second a kilometre. That's not big, but it's big enough and these days it's not easy to find that kind of time. We're all working hard to close that gap in Sardinia," added Gronholm.
Mikko Hirvonen follows his team-mate in the standings as he lies third in the drivers' championship. A good result is hoped for in Sardinia as he was second there last year.
"The rally is in the same area as always but each year the organisers make changes to the route to miss out certain sections and include new ones," he said.
"It doesn't make a big difference. The most difficult aspect is that the stages are so narrow, even when they are faster and flowing, often with large stones right on the edge of the road. It's important to be precise with my driving and equally so with my pace notes for the new sections,” Mikko explained.
"One of my targets for this season was to be closer to Marcus and
Sebastien Loeb in terms of stage times. In Sweden, Norway and Mexico I achieved that but in Argentina that wasn't the case. Maybe it was because I had less experience of the roads, but I drove too safely. So I want to find more speed and be braver in Sardinia," Hirvonen concluded.
Source Ford World Rally Team
