Finland : Subaru World Rally Team - PreviewAfter a two-month break, the World Rally Championship is about to resume, and the Subaru World Rally Team will be busier than ever as it prepares to field three cars for the first time this season.
Joining Petter Solberg/Phil
Mills and Chris Atkinson/Stephane Prevot behind the wheel of Subaru Impreza WRC2007s will be Xavier Pons/Xavier Amigo, the Spanish pair making their debut for the Japanese manufacturer.
Next weekend's Rally Finland is one of the classic events in the WRC schedule. It's a high-speed thrash along smooth, flowing gravel tracks through pine and spruce forests and past the thousands of lakes which are scattered through the area. The rally is based in Jyvaskyla, a vibrant town which is the cultural and business hub of central Finland. During the 17th century, before the town was founded, the heavily-forested area was a hunting ground for people from southern Finland.
The only hunting going on next weekend will be for the optimum set-up to cope with the unique conditions thrown up by this highly specialised event. On some of the flat-out Finnish tracks, World Rally Cars hit 200kph, while the average speed for the event is about 120kph, making this the fastest event on the calendar. Although the special stages are wide by WRC standards, the presence of trees and large rocks means there is little room for error.
It is essential to have a fast, consistent, stable car which can ride the flat-out crests and jumps at high speeds.
It is not all about which World Rally Car has the best top speed, however. The car needs to be agile, with precise handling, but also needs soft suspension and lots of wheel travel to get grip on the gravel roads. This equation is usually biased slightly towards accurate handling, because it is crucial that the driver has confidence in the behaviour of his machine. If he isn't sure how the car will land after a high-speed crest, he will not be able to push to the maximum.
This year's event will test the concentration of the crews, because a total of 46 per cent of the rally route is new. That will level the playing field, because the more seasoned drivers won't be able to rely purely on experience. Don't be surprised to see some of the younger drivers giving the established stars a fright with some competitive stage times. On the other hand, a home advantage always helps and this event has only been won by non-Nordic drivers on three occasions.
The event commences at 2000hrs on Thursday evening with a 2.06km SuperSpecial based inside the horse trotting track at Killeri. In total there will be 23 timed sections, with a combined competitive distance of 360.34km.
Petter, Chris and Xavier have each been involved in the team's mid-season test and development programme, but they have also taken time out to re-charge their batteries ahead of the second half of the WRC season. Chris took a 10-day trip to Australia to visit friends and relatives, but has spent most of the break at home in Monte Carlo, where he has been running and bicycling to keep fit. Petter has been with his family in Norway and Sweden.
He has been quad biking and fishing with his son and also went to see Rod Stewart at a charity concert. As part of his own preparations for his Subaru rally debut, Xevi Pons has driven the Impreza WRC2007 on roads in Wales, Germany and Finland. But Pons is also able to draw on experience from his previous career as one of the world's top Enduro riders. He has fond memories of the Finnish tracks from when he last competed there on two wheels in 1996.
Subaru World Rally Team
