Portugal : Citroen Sport - PreviewThe fifth round of the 2007 World Rally Championship takes teams to Portugal where Citroën has entered C4 WRCs for
Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Martí.
For the first time since 2001, the Rally de Portugal is back
on the WRC calendar. The very name of this former classic conjures up images of spectacular leaps over the Fafe jumps, massive crowds, hanging dust and thick fog that so often proved decisive over the infamous Arganil tests.
For many years, the Portuguese fixture was a mixed-surface event before switching to an all-gravel format in 1995. Today, in their bid to retrieve their place amongst the WRC elite, its organisers have adapted their event to the modern template and, in 2005, after Lisbon and Porto, have chosen to move its epicentre to Faro, capital of the Algarve region at the southern tip of the country.
The return of this household name to the sport's premier series is a reward for the perseverance of the devoted Portuguese fans who were deprived of world class action for five years and who have long been renowned for the enthusiastic welcome they give to the rally fraternity.
The compact 2007 route features a classic format of one daily loop contested twice. Friday's stages takes crews to the north-east of the Algarve Stadium service park, while Saturday's action will focus on the village of Almodovar to the north-west.
The third and final day – due north of service – is the shortest of the weekend and notably includes the second attempt at the super-special which will run in and around the stadium itself.
Sebastien Loeb will be competing in the Rally de Portugal for the first time. Although some of his rivals took part in 2001's extremely wet, Porto-based event, this year's Algarve-based stages will be a step into unknown territory for most WRC runners. "It's nice to see this round back in the championship," says Seb. "Rallying is so popular in Portugal and we know we will be given a warm welcome. My aim will be to try to take another win."
Dani Sordo is one of only three WRC drivers to benefit from previous experience of the stages and, for the first time in his young career, he can look forward to starting an event with a handy edge over his rivals. "I have been to Faro twice," he acknowledges, "but that prior knowledge of the terrain doesn't mean I will lose sight of the objective I have had since the start of the year. The main thing will be to score points for Citroën."
The Portuguese round is more traditional than the recent Rally Mexico inasmuch as it doesn't take place at altitude. The engines of the WRC cars will be able to 'breathe' normally and consequently exploit all their power potential. For Citroën Sport, the trip to Europe's south-eastern tip promises to be capital on a number of accounts.
"Mexico was the first gravel round of the year," recalls Guy Fréquelin. "It was also the maiden outing on the loose for the Citroën C4 WRC and the fact that we won confirmed the potential we saw on snow. Its reliability over Mexico's hot, challenging stages was extremelyencouraging for Portugal where our aim will be to try to win. As we saw in Norway, new events can spring some surprises and, given the situation in the Manufacturers' standings, it will important to have both cars in a good position at the finish."
Citroen Sport
