WRC-News: Citroen Sport vor der Finnland-Rallye von Admin
The two Sébastiens ready to take up the Finnish challenge
The two Sébastiens ready to take up the Finnish challenge
Montag - Juli - 26.07.2010 - 16:58:44 Uhr
Three weeks after winning the Bulgarian Rally which was on the world championship calendar for the first time, the Citroën Total World Rally Team is preparing for an outing on more familiar territory, that of the mythic Rally Finland. In the land of 1000 Lakes, the C4 WRCs will be driven by Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia, who, for the first time, will join the team currently leading the Manufacturers’ Championship in the FIA World Rally Championship.
For the 60th anniversary of their event, the Finnish organisers have innovated by condensing the rally into a 2-day period - Friday and Saturday. Thus, the event will be run at an even more hectic pace than usual putting the resistance of man and machines to an even sterner test!
Victorious in 2008, Sébastien Loeb achieved a real feat by putting his name on the short list of drivers alongside Carlos Sainz and Didier Auriol from foreign countries who have won this rally. The six-time world champion, who finished second in 2009, is tackling this year’s event in a humble frame of mind. “I really wanted to win this rally. Now that I’ve achieved this objective, I see things a bit differently. This year
I’ll be starting with sixty-five points in hand over Mikko Hirvonen. I can afford to control my lead as there are three more asphalt rallies to go this season. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going for the win! To do that, though, I have to feel completely at ease.”
Rally Finland with its stages in the forests represents a very special test for the drivers: “Victory is generally just a question of seconds,” Loeb goes on. “To win here you have to be in complete harmony with your car and your notes. You have to be able to really let go and attack each corner, almost as if you’re overdoing it. When you’ve got this off to a tee, you can really throw the car and place it to take the
perfect line in the corner.”
For rally fans, the Rally of a 1000 Lakes is always associated with its famous jumps! But in Loeb’s opinion the biggest difficulty of the event lies elsewhere. “You don’t win the rally by jumping high and long, What’s more important is what you find behind the jumps. It’s crucial to position the car correctly to stay on the right line for the corner coming up after you land. Once you’re in the air you can’t make any adjustments! Year after year I fine-tune my notes with this aim in mind.” While Loeb has already raced in the event ten times, Sébastien Ogier’s experience is much more limited. The winner of Rally Portugal is having his first outing in the Citroën Total Rally Team and he will have to cope with some additional pressure: “Unlike the previous rounds I’m going to have to drive my rally in view of scoring points for the Manufacturers’ World Championship title. The aim is a little different but the approach is the same.
Julien and I have done a lot of work preparing for this rally, and we’ll do our very best. It’s a difficult event with high average speeds and the trees are never too far from the road! It gives you a rush of adrenaline, but we like that; we’re ready to take up the challenge and we’re absolutely determined to show that we’re worthy of the trust that’s been placed in us.”.
Three questions to Sébastien Ogier
You’re going to carry the colours of the Citroën Total World Rally Team in Rally Finland. How do you feel about this promotion?
“Above all I feel proud and joyful. It’s every driver’s dream to join a works outfit one day. It was already more or less the case with the Citroën Junior Team, which gave me a top-class car to drive. But this represents a step up to the very top of the ladder as I’m joining the reigning world championship team. I’m happy even it means a little bit more pressure and greater expectations of me. I’m trying not to ask myself too many useless questions and I’m preparing for this rally like the previous ones.”
Your first outing comes in a particularly difficult rally for foreign drivers. How are you going to make up for your lack of experience?
“I think I’ve lacked experience in all the rallies since the start of the season! It’s true that Finland is one of the most difficult terrains, but I like this rally. Last year, I was happy just to be able to steadily up the pace to the extent that I set the fastest time in the third stage. It remains to be seen if I feel as good again in the opening stages this year. To help my confidence the team has scheduled three days of tests, which is
an enormous boost.
What’s your aim for this rally?
“That’ll depend above all on the objectives the team sets for me. Since the start of the season we’ve shown that we can take the fight to the best on gravel. Even if it’ll certainly be difficult, a podium would be a great result.”
Dani Sordo joins Kimi Räikkönen
Following the asphalt of Bulgaria, the FIA World Rally Championship gets back to gravel with the legendary Rally Finland. For the first time this year, Dani Sordo and Marc Marti will drive for the Citroën Junior Team. The team’s second Citroën C4 WRC will be in the hands of Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström, who are competing in front of their home crowd.
For 60 years now, the 1000 Lakes Rally – which then became the Rally Finland – has been a classic fixture for all the crews. The event is often nicknamed the ‘Jyväskylä Grand Prix’ and it has featured seven times in the top 10 fastest rallies ever held in the history of the World Rally Championship. The quickest Rally Finland took place in 2005, with an average speed of 122.86 kph recorded on the event.
For the eighth round of the season, Citroën Racing has made some adjustments to its team nominations. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia join the Citroën Total World Rally Team for the first time, while Dani Sordo and Marc Marti form part of the Citroën Junior Team as team mates to Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström. The Spanish crew will also be nominated to score points for the Citroën Junior Team in Japan and Great Britain this year.
“The objective of the Citroën Junior Team is to allow young drivers to perform to the best of their abilities at the highest level,” pointed out Team Manager Benoit Nogier. “We have seen this goal being achieved with Sébastien Ogier and we are very happy for him. His results reflect the hard work that the entire team has put in since the start of the season. We hope to be at the same level with Dani, so that he too can show what he is capable of.”
Dani Sordo, aged 27, is currently sixth in the World Championship standings and has finished on the podium twice this year, thanks to third place in Portugal and second in Bulgaria. The Spaniard looks upon his new association with the Citroën Junior Team as a fresh opportunity. “I’ll be feeling less pressure,” he said. “By switching teams, I won’t always have to drive with the fundamental need to score manufacturer points for Citroën at the back of my mind. I’m going to concentrate on just doing my own
rally and delivering the best performance possible.”
For the first time in his short World Rally Championship career, Kimi Räikkönen will be starting an event that he has already contested last year. In 2009, the 2007 Formula One World Champion showed some highly impressive pace before unfortunately going off the road. “We were able to get back up to speed on gravel thanks to a good pre-Finland test,” said Kimi. “Those testing kilometres are absolutely vital on a rally like this one. The experience from last year is certainly going to help, but there is such a performance gap between a Super 2000 machine and a World Rally Car that it’s almost like driving a different rally. I’m really looking forward to getting started. When I was in Formula One, I never got the chance to race in front of my home crowd. I know that there are going to be loads of fans out in service and by the side of the stages. For me, this is a real highlight of the season!”
Three questions to… Dani Sordo
Does joining the Citroën Junior Team feel a bit like going back to your roots?
“I started off on the World Rally Championship driving the Citroën Xsara WRC, when some people from the Citroën Junior Team were also there. These were very happy memories, and we had some good performances that helped me to secure a factory drive. There is a very nice atmosphere in the team and everybody is extremely professional. The results speak for themselves. Everything is there to enable us to
have a very good rally.”
Is Finland an event you have been looking forward to this year?
“Finland a particularly tricky rally that is very fast, and so local drivers tend to do extremely well there. It’s also a rally that personally I love. The speeds we reach are very exciting for any driver and of course we have to take a few risks through the trees and over the crests. It’s an absolutely unique event. You need to have very good pace notes, and to drive precisely and decisively.”
What do you expect from this rally with the Citroën Junior Team?
“I know that I’m joining a very good team. Now it’s down to me to make the most of it. I’m going to try and give it my all on this event, as always do. For the past two years I’ve finished fourth, less than 20 seconds off the podium, and in 2009 I was only a minute behind the winner. My objective is to show that I can be competitive while setting some good times and remaining consistent throughout the event.”
Information
Rally Finland (round 8/13) (29 – 31 July)
Surface: gravel
Where: Jyväskylä
Practical info: The service park, HQ and the media centre are in the ‘Paviljonki’ in Jyväskylä. There is a 1- hour time difference between Finland (GMT + 3) and France (GMT + 2). At 12h00 in Jyväskylä, it is 11h00 in Paris. On the first day of the rally, Friday 29th July, the sun will rise at 4h31m and set at 22h14m. In July, the average maximum temperature exceeds 20°C. The local currency is the euro.
Technical: The engines have already been used in Bulgaria. They will be installed in the C4 WRCs in Germany. The transmissions and spares have been shared with Rally Portugal (already run).
Tyres: 36 Pirelli Scorpion WRC soft tyres can be used including 6 in the shakedown.
Reconnaissance: It is programmed for Tuesday 27th July and Wednesday 28th July from 08h00 to 18h00 with two runs maximum through each stage.
Shakedown: Thursday 29th July between 8h00 and 12h00 in Muurame on a 4,46 kilometre stage whose start is 10,26 km from the service park.
Press Conference: Thursday 29th July at 13h30 in the Media Centre.
Start: Thursday 29th July in Paviljonki at18h00.
Route: 1307,87 km long including 310,05 timed kms. 19 stages (11 different).
Timing: Day 1 – 661,73 km including 147,27 timed kms chronométrés (11 SS, 6 different). Thursday 29th July: start: 18h00 – SS1: ‘Laajavuori 1’ (4,19 km). Friday 30th July – Service A (6h30 / 15 min) – SS2: ‘Urria 1’ (12,75 km) – SS3: ‘Jukojärvi 1’ (22,29 km) – SS4: ‘Urria 2’ (12,75 km) – SS5: ‘Jukojärvi 2’ (22,29 km) – Service B (12h30 / 30 min) – SS6: ‘Lankamaa’ (24,87 km) – SS7: ‘Sirkkamäki 1’ (6,45 km) – SS8: ‘Myhinpää 1’ (15,52 km) – SS9: ‘Sirkkamäki 2’ (6,45 km) – SS10: ‘Myhinpää 2’
(15,52 km) – SS11: ‘Laajavuori 2’ (4,19 km) – Service C (20h30 / 45 min) – last car in parc fermé at 23h59.
Day 2 – Saturday 31st July: 646,14 km dont 162,78 timed kms (8 SS, 5 different). Startt: 5h50 – Service D (5h50 / 15 min) – SS12: ‘Kolonkulma’ (10,35 km) – SS13: ‘Väärinmaja’ (29,29 km) – SS14: ‘Surkee 1’ (19,59 km) – Service E (10h46 / 30 min) – SS15: ‘Leustu 1’ (21,35 km) – SS16: ‘Himos 1’ (20,63 km) – SS17: ‘Surkee 2’ (19,59 km) – Service F (15h10 / 30 min) – SS18: ‘Leustu 2’ (21,35 km) – SS19: ‘Himos 2’ (20,63 km) – Service G (19h08 / 10 min) – Finish at 19h45.
Podium : Sarurday 31st July, at 19h45.
Press conference: Saturday 31st July at 20h30 in the Media Centre.
Hits: 53
For the 60th anniversary of their event, the Finnish organisers have innovated by condensing the rally into a 2-day period - Friday and Saturday. Thus, the event will be run at an even more hectic pace than usual putting the resistance of man and machines to an even sterner test!
Victorious in 2008, Sébastien Loeb achieved a real feat by putting his name on the short list of drivers alongside Carlos Sainz and Didier Auriol from foreign countries who have won this rally. The six-time world champion, who finished second in 2009, is tackling this year’s event in a humble frame of mind. “I really wanted to win this rally. Now that I’ve achieved this objective, I see things a bit differently. This year
I’ll be starting with sixty-five points in hand over Mikko Hirvonen. I can afford to control my lead as there are three more asphalt rallies to go this season. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going for the win! To do that, though, I have to feel completely at ease.”
Rally Finland with its stages in the forests represents a very special test for the drivers: “Victory is generally just a question of seconds,” Loeb goes on. “To win here you have to be in complete harmony with your car and your notes. You have to be able to really let go and attack each corner, almost as if you’re overdoing it. When you’ve got this off to a tee, you can really throw the car and place it to take the
perfect line in the corner.”
For rally fans, the Rally of a 1000 Lakes is always associated with its famous jumps! But in Loeb’s opinion the biggest difficulty of the event lies elsewhere. “You don’t win the rally by jumping high and long, What’s more important is what you find behind the jumps. It’s crucial to position the car correctly to stay on the right line for the corner coming up after you land. Once you’re in the air you can’t make any adjustments! Year after year I fine-tune my notes with this aim in mind.” While Loeb has already raced in the event ten times, Sébastien Ogier’s experience is much more limited. The winner of Rally Portugal is having his first outing in the Citroën Total Rally Team and he will have to cope with some additional pressure: “Unlike the previous rounds I’m going to have to drive my rally in view of scoring points for the Manufacturers’ World Championship title. The aim is a little different but the approach is the same.
Julien and I have done a lot of work preparing for this rally, and we’ll do our very best. It’s a difficult event with high average speeds and the trees are never too far from the road! It gives you a rush of adrenaline, but we like that; we’re ready to take up the challenge and we’re absolutely determined to show that we’re worthy of the trust that’s been placed in us.”.
Three questions to Sébastien Ogier
You’re going to carry the colours of the Citroën Total World Rally Team in Rally Finland. How do you feel about this promotion?
“Above all I feel proud and joyful. It’s every driver’s dream to join a works outfit one day. It was already more or less the case with the Citroën Junior Team, which gave me a top-class car to drive. But this represents a step up to the very top of the ladder as I’m joining the reigning world championship team. I’m happy even it means a little bit more pressure and greater expectations of me. I’m trying not to ask myself too many useless questions and I’m preparing for this rally like the previous ones.”
Your first outing comes in a particularly difficult rally for foreign drivers. How are you going to make up for your lack of experience?
“I think I’ve lacked experience in all the rallies since the start of the season! It’s true that Finland is one of the most difficult terrains, but I like this rally. Last year, I was happy just to be able to steadily up the pace to the extent that I set the fastest time in the third stage. It remains to be seen if I feel as good again in the opening stages this year. To help my confidence the team has scheduled three days of tests, which is
an enormous boost.
What’s your aim for this rally?
“That’ll depend above all on the objectives the team sets for me. Since the start of the season we’ve shown that we can take the fight to the best on gravel. Even if it’ll certainly be difficult, a podium would be a great result.”
Dani Sordo joins Kimi Räikkönen
Following the asphalt of Bulgaria, the FIA World Rally Championship gets back to gravel with the legendary Rally Finland. For the first time this year, Dani Sordo and Marc Marti will drive for the Citroën Junior Team. The team’s second Citroën C4 WRC will be in the hands of Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström, who are competing in front of their home crowd.
For 60 years now, the 1000 Lakes Rally – which then became the Rally Finland – has been a classic fixture for all the crews. The event is often nicknamed the ‘Jyväskylä Grand Prix’ and it has featured seven times in the top 10 fastest rallies ever held in the history of the World Rally Championship. The quickest Rally Finland took place in 2005, with an average speed of 122.86 kph recorded on the event.
For the eighth round of the season, Citroën Racing has made some adjustments to its team nominations. Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia join the Citroën Total World Rally Team for the first time, while Dani Sordo and Marc Marti form part of the Citroën Junior Team as team mates to Kimi Räikkönen and Kaj Lindström. The Spanish crew will also be nominated to score points for the Citroën Junior Team in Japan and Great Britain this year.
“The objective of the Citroën Junior Team is to allow young drivers to perform to the best of their abilities at the highest level,” pointed out Team Manager Benoit Nogier. “We have seen this goal being achieved with Sébastien Ogier and we are very happy for him. His results reflect the hard work that the entire team has put in since the start of the season. We hope to be at the same level with Dani, so that he too can show what he is capable of.”
Dani Sordo, aged 27, is currently sixth in the World Championship standings and has finished on the podium twice this year, thanks to third place in Portugal and second in Bulgaria. The Spaniard looks upon his new association with the Citroën Junior Team as a fresh opportunity. “I’ll be feeling less pressure,” he said. “By switching teams, I won’t always have to drive with the fundamental need to score manufacturer points for Citroën at the back of my mind. I’m going to concentrate on just doing my own
rally and delivering the best performance possible.”
For the first time in his short World Rally Championship career, Kimi Räikkönen will be starting an event that he has already contested last year. In 2009, the 2007 Formula One World Champion showed some highly impressive pace before unfortunately going off the road. “We were able to get back up to speed on gravel thanks to a good pre-Finland test,” said Kimi. “Those testing kilometres are absolutely vital on a rally like this one. The experience from last year is certainly going to help, but there is such a performance gap between a Super 2000 machine and a World Rally Car that it’s almost like driving a different rally. I’m really looking forward to getting started. When I was in Formula One, I never got the chance to race in front of my home crowd. I know that there are going to be loads of fans out in service and by the side of the stages. For me, this is a real highlight of the season!”
Three questions to… Dani Sordo
Does joining the Citroën Junior Team feel a bit like going back to your roots?
“I started off on the World Rally Championship driving the Citroën Xsara WRC, when some people from the Citroën Junior Team were also there. These were very happy memories, and we had some good performances that helped me to secure a factory drive. There is a very nice atmosphere in the team and everybody is extremely professional. The results speak for themselves. Everything is there to enable us to
have a very good rally.”
Is Finland an event you have been looking forward to this year?
“Finland a particularly tricky rally that is very fast, and so local drivers tend to do extremely well there. It’s also a rally that personally I love. The speeds we reach are very exciting for any driver and of course we have to take a few risks through the trees and over the crests. It’s an absolutely unique event. You need to have very good pace notes, and to drive precisely and decisively.”
What do you expect from this rally with the Citroën Junior Team?
“I know that I’m joining a very good team. Now it’s down to me to make the most of it. I’m going to try and give it my all on this event, as always do. For the past two years I’ve finished fourth, less than 20 seconds off the podium, and in 2009 I was only a minute behind the winner. My objective is to show that I can be competitive while setting some good times and remaining consistent throughout the event.”
Information
Rally Finland (round 8/13) (29 – 31 July)
Surface: gravel
Where: Jyväskylä
Practical info: The service park, HQ and the media centre are in the ‘Paviljonki’ in Jyväskylä. There is a 1- hour time difference between Finland (GMT + 3) and France (GMT + 2). At 12h00 in Jyväskylä, it is 11h00 in Paris. On the first day of the rally, Friday 29th July, the sun will rise at 4h31m and set at 22h14m. In July, the average maximum temperature exceeds 20°C. The local currency is the euro.
Technical: The engines have already been used in Bulgaria. They will be installed in the C4 WRCs in Germany. The transmissions and spares have been shared with Rally Portugal (already run).
Tyres: 36 Pirelli Scorpion WRC soft tyres can be used including 6 in the shakedown.
Reconnaissance: It is programmed for Tuesday 27th July and Wednesday 28th July from 08h00 to 18h00 with two runs maximum through each stage.
Shakedown: Thursday 29th July between 8h00 and 12h00 in Muurame on a 4,46 kilometre stage whose start is 10,26 km from the service park.
Press Conference: Thursday 29th July at 13h30 in the Media Centre.
Start: Thursday 29th July in Paviljonki at18h00.
Route: 1307,87 km long including 310,05 timed kms. 19 stages (11 different).
Timing: Day 1 – 661,73 km including 147,27 timed kms chronométrés (11 SS, 6 different). Thursday 29th July: start: 18h00 – SS1: ‘Laajavuori 1’ (4,19 km). Friday 30th July – Service A (6h30 / 15 min) – SS2: ‘Urria 1’ (12,75 km) – SS3: ‘Jukojärvi 1’ (22,29 km) – SS4: ‘Urria 2’ (12,75 km) – SS5: ‘Jukojärvi 2’ (22,29 km) – Service B (12h30 / 30 min) – SS6: ‘Lankamaa’ (24,87 km) – SS7: ‘Sirkkamäki 1’ (6,45 km) – SS8: ‘Myhinpää 1’ (15,52 km) – SS9: ‘Sirkkamäki 2’ (6,45 km) – SS10: ‘Myhinpää 2’
(15,52 km) – SS11: ‘Laajavuori 2’ (4,19 km) – Service C (20h30 / 45 min) – last car in parc fermé at 23h59.
Day 2 – Saturday 31st July: 646,14 km dont 162,78 timed kms (8 SS, 5 different). Startt: 5h50 – Service D (5h50 / 15 min) – SS12: ‘Kolonkulma’ (10,35 km) – SS13: ‘Väärinmaja’ (29,29 km) – SS14: ‘Surkee 1’ (19,59 km) – Service E (10h46 / 30 min) – SS15: ‘Leustu 1’ (21,35 km) – SS16: ‘Himos 1’ (20,63 km) – SS17: ‘Surkee 2’ (19,59 km) – Service F (15h10 / 30 min) – SS18: ‘Leustu 2’ (21,35 km) – SS19: ‘Himos 2’ (20,63 km) – Service G (19h08 / 10 min) – Finish at 19h45.
Podium : Sarurday 31st July, at 19h45.
Press conference: Saturday 31st July at 20h30 in the Media Centre.
Hits: 53
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