Norway : Citroen Sport - PreviewCitroen Sport has entered two C4 WRCs for
Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí for Rally Norway which starts just four days after the finish ceremony in Sweden.
For the first time since the creation of the World Rally
Championship, the calendar features two winter fixtures based close to the Arctic Circle. These two rallies, which are situated just 250km from each other, make up the first 'event pairing' of the season.
For most of the WRC's regulars, Norway will be a brand new experience, but those who have already contested it say that its stages are globally slower and narrower than those of last weekend and that there are numerous technically demanding portions. The landscape is also hillier than on the Swedish side of the border.
Indeed, the stage near Lillehammer known as 'Mountain' sets the scene and crews can look forward to a menu of steep climbs, plateaux and sharp drops. On the other hand, the stages near Kongsvinger to the south-east of Hamar are apparently more undulating with the occasional tighter portion, while the majority of the stages use either forest or private land.
In addition to the fact that this even is new to practically everyone, another unknown element is the amount of snow competitors will find. The most optimistic forecasts predict bitter cold temperatures and lots of snow, and consequently plenty of big snow banks.
The recent Swedish Rally gave Citroen Sport a clearer picture of the C4 WRC's potential on ice and snow.
As on January's Monte Carlo Rally, the team's new car proved competitive last weekend despite occasionally unfavourable conditions, such as when
Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena had to run first on the road on Day 1, but everyone at Citroen Sport is keen to build on the promise shown by the new car in Sweden.
Last weekend's event also served to underline the importance of the tyre factor on this type of surface, and one of the key considerations in Norway will be to make the most of BFGoodrich's range of g-Force Ice tyres and their different stud combinations.
Although they tip the scales at only 4 grams each, these tiny tungsten tips give the drivers amazing grip and enable them to do practically what they want with their cars despite the extremely slippery conditions. That said, choosing the right amount by which the studs protrude from the tread's rubber blocks is vital, otherwise the result can be very costly in terms of stage times.
This will be a key factor for Citroen and
Sebastien Loeb in their bid to mix it with the winter rally specialists and the local stars in Norway. Meanwhile, Dani Sordo is only half looking forward to this second serving of ice and he is keen to get on with the rest of the championship which promises to be much more to his liking...
