Sordo, Solberg crash in testing

Citroen and Subaru drivers were out testing near Valdenz in Germany last week, in preparation for ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Both Dani Sordo and Petter Solberg crashed their cars.

As our photos show, Solberg's excursion into the vines of the famous Mosel region doesn't appear

to have caused as much damage as Sordo's off-road adventure.

Paddon, Gilmour win Rally NZ scholarships

Hayden Paddon and Emma Gilmour have been awarded scholarships to compete in next month’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship in New Zealand.

Paddon and Gilmour were selected by Rally New Zealand, who hope the two young drivers will use the development opportunity to propel themselves on to the world stage. The 38th Rally New Zealand, the 11th round of the World Rally Championship, will be staged in and around the Waikato and Franklin regions from August 30 to September 2.

The scholarships entitle Paddon and Gilmour to compete as wildcard entries in the Production World Rally Championship class, up against more than 20 international drivers. Last year Rally New Zealand established the scholarship, giving current national champion, Richard Mason, and Chris West the opportunity to compete in the PWRC class. Mason took full advantage, finishing second in the class and 10th overall.

“Richard and Chris took this opportunity with both hands and Richard, in particular, has gone on to develop an international profile racing in China,” said Chris Carr, chairman of Rally New Zealand. “We see the scholarship as a real opportunity to blood the next young drivers and see if they can use it as a catalyst for their international careers. I am sure that both Richard and Chris will attest to its benefits.”

Paddon, 20, comes from a family of motorsport enthusiasts. After success in karting and club racing, Paddon moved into rallying, winning the Junior and Rookie honours last year as well as earning a Motorsport NZ scholarship. He showed his class with a brilliant win in the Hella International Rally Whangarei, a round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, becoming the youngest driver to ever win a round of the New Zealand championship.

“This is an awesome honour. We will do our very best and try to show everyone that Kiwis can fly,” Paddon said. “I am absolutely stoked.”

Gilmour, 27 is from Dunedin, and like Paddon, comes from a motorsport family. She began rallying five years ago and quickly moved up the ranks, finishing in a share of third in last year’s national championship.

“This is a really pleasant surprise. We know from our experience racing in the Fiesta class that to race in a world championship is excellent exposure,” said Gilmour, who was testing her new rally car near Dunedin yesterday. “It will mean we can test ourselves against the best in the world. It will be absolutely awesome.”

Carr said Rally New Zealand wanted to encourage more women to take up the sport. “We want more women in rallying. Emma is a wonderful ambassador for our sport both in and out of the rally car,” he said.

The scholarships were announced at the Rally New Zealand Promotion Day at Mystery Creek where Drury (NZ) driver Glenn Inkster won the prize of a free entry in Rally New Zealand.

Duval joins Kronos for Germany

Two drivers will compete for the OMV Kronos Citroen World Rally Team at the “ADAC Rallye Germany”. Francois Duval has been nominated for the second Citroen Xsara WRC in time for the entry deadline. The chances for a top result at the tenth run to the FIA World Rally Championship should increase with the assignment of the 26-year-old Belgian who has already reached the podium in Germany twice as second-placed. Manfred Stohl is looking forward to the immediate comparison with a teammate once again.

Closest to Loeb
In the five-year-history of the Rally Germany it was Francois Duval who came dangerously close to five-times winner Sebastien Loeb even twice. The Belgian finished second only to the Frenchman in the years 2004 and 2005. Thereby neo OMV driver Duval already steered the Citroen Xsara WRC in 2005 with which he won the Rally Australia the same year. The latter also marked the last appearance of Duval in the Citroen in November two and a half years ago. Duval: “I am very happy and want to thank my partners who have made this assignment possible. I know that we can be very fast with the Citroen Xsara WRC in Germany and will cause quite a surprise.“

Comparison is extremely important
OMV driver Manfred Stohl welcomes the fact that he won’t be the only one to carry the flags of the OMV Kronos Citroen World Rally Team in Germany. The comparison with a teammate motivates last year’s fifth-placed of the German WRC-run even more. Stohl: “Francois Duval undisputedly is one of the three best drivers in the WRC on tarmac. He furthermore knows the Citroen Xsara WRC. I can only profit by the comparison and collaboration – that is why I am looking forward to it.“

Confidence thanks to home advantage
The Rally Germany is a kind of „home rally“ for OMV Kronos Citroen Team Principal Marc Van Dalen. Van Dalen: “Duval doesn’t live too far from the rally course. And it also is the nearest WRC-run for our company Kronos-Racing. And the tradition of OMV at this rally is well known. Furthermore, both Duval and Stohl already reached top five results here. Plus: the Citroen Xsara WRC is the most successful car at this rally. Eight of 15 podium places went to this car type during five years. This in combination with the home advantage should make for a satisfying performance.“

Ford to debut Focus 07 in Finland

Reigning FIA World Rally champion BP-Ford will strengthen its challenge for the 2007 manufacturers' and drivers' titles when the latest specification Focus RS World Rally Car makes its debut in Finland next month. The Focus RS WRC 07 features improvements in several key areas and will be piloted by Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen and team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen on all eight remaining rounds of the 2007 championship.

Four victories on the opening eight rounds of the series have enabled BP-Ford World Rally Team to build a 28-point lead in the manufacturers' series in the quest to retain its 2006 title. Grönholm is nine points clear in the drivers' standings.

The new car is an evolution of the hugely successful 2006 version with development principally concentrating on the engine, bodyshell and weight saving. The work has been led by Christian Loriaux, the team's innovative technical director based at M-Sport – the British-based company which handles the day-to-day operations of the team in partnership with Ford.

The car has been tested by both drivers in Italy, Spain and Finland in advance of its debut on Rally Finland (2 - 5 August), round nine of the 2007 championship.

"The opening half of the season has been successful for us," said Jost Capito, director of Ford TeamRS and responsible for the Blue Oval's European motorsport programmes. "The 2006 car won 12 of the 25 rallies it started, which is a remarkable strike rate, and one that we would like to emulate with the new car during the second part of the season.

"We're confident that the 2007 Focus RS WRC will bring improvements in several key areas. The regulations mean it is impossible to find huge leaps forward when our car is already so technologically advanced. But any performance improvements are always a welcome boost and I believe that Christian and his team have introduced developments that will strengthen our challenge during the final eight rallies of the championship," he added.

BP-Ford team director Malcolm Wilson said both drivers were pleased with the upgrades. "Both Marcus and Mikko have completed plenty of kilometres in testing and they are encouraged. Our designers and engineers have worked extremely hard behind the scenes and they are pleased with the car. There are few visible modifications on the outside but it is underneath the skin where most of the changes are found and I'm looking forward to seeing the rewards in Finland and beyond," he said.

"It is important not to think of the Focus RS WRC 07 as a new car in the same way that the 2003 or 2006 models were," added Loriaux. "This is an evolution of the car that won the 2006 manufacturers' world title and which has taken BP-Ford into such a strong position in the 2007 championship. Much of our thinking has concentrated on weight, and the modifications we have introduced save almost 20kg. This allows us to position ballast in the areas where we want to distribute the weight to maximise the handling and balance of the car.

The Ford Focus RS WRC 07: the new technology in detail

In developing the Ford Focus RS WRC 07, BP-Ford World Rally Team's technical director Christian Loriaux and his team did not seek to take huge steps forward because such leaps are impossible under the regulations. Instead they concentrated on making minor, but significant, developments in several areas. Here are the key technical changes along with Loriaux's thoughts on the improvements that he and his team of engineers developed:

Engine

Although the Focus ST model on which the World Rally Car is based uses a 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine, rallying rules do not permit an engine of that size. However, the regulations do allow teams to use another engine from elsewhere in the Ford Focus model range, so when designing the 2006-specifcation car M-Sport opted for the 2.0-litre Duratec unit, with the addition of a turbocharger and the mandatory 34mm inlet restrictor. That engine, which has an all-alloy block, remains in the 2007 car. "The changes on the new car are mainly to save weight and to improve efficiency, driveability and performance at the bottom end of the range," said Loriaux. It has a lighter flywheel while further machining of the engine block has removed unnecessary parts and weight has also been saved by lightening some internal parts of the engine. The car also contains a new exhaust manifold, the former two-piece system replaced by a single-piece unit.

Suspension

The Focus RS WRC 07’s suspension is virtually identical to that of the 2006 car. It continues to use Reiger dampers and the only change is a small weight reduction on various components.

Bodyshell

The bodyshell displays visible changes at both the front and the rear. The rear wing has been modified to improve the car's aerodynamic efficiency. "It's a new wing and although it is not radically different from the 2006 car, it should reduce drag," said Loriaux. At the front, the car sports a new bumper which has been raised to improve ground clearance. "The previous bumper was too low, mainly because when we designed the previous car we didn't have enough time to test alternatives before homologation. As a result gravel was often scooped up onto the bonnet and windscreen which was irritating for the drivers. By raising the height we should eliminate this and also reduce the amount of damage we've suffered to the bumper," he added. The other visible change is that the side exits to the front bumper for cooling are now vertical instead of horizontal. The shell has also been modified slightly to increase the protection offered to the co-driver. "We've made a small change so that we can use a seat with safety ears for the co-driver. It adds a further degree of safety which has always had the highest priority in our design," explained Loriaux.

Transmission

The Ford Focus RS WRC 06 featured considerable changes to its gearbox from the previous model, not only in specification but also in layout. The original Focus WRC (introduced in 1999) mated a longitudinal gearbox to a transverse engine, an engineering feat in itself. But for the 06 car Loriaux used a transverse gearbox along with the transverse engine. He has made no alterations to that but has still achieved a weight reduction in the gearbox and more development is planned. "We're working on trying to improve the gearchange speed. We have homologated new parts but have not done sufficient work to introduce them onto the car yet. That is for the future," said Loriaux.

Weight distribution

Loriaux is renowned for his innovative design approach to lowering the centre of gravity in rally machinery. Many of the trends seen on today’s cars, such as the crew sitting particularly low in the cabin, can be attributed to his earlier designs. Having set new trends on the 06 car, Loriaux has continued to concentrate on saving weight and no element of the car has escaped intense scrutiny in this area. Weight has been saved in the engine, suspension and transmission. "The engine is about 5kg lighter, which is a figure I'm really happy with. It's a lot to save," he explained. "It's another 5kg that we can transfer to another area of the car to improve its balance and handling." Savings have also been made by redesigning the pedal box, the hydraulic jack and even the wheel brace.

Loeb calls for Sordo's help

Sebastien Loeb believes that he will need the help of Citroen teammate Dani Sordo if he is to beat Marcus Gronholm to this year's WRC crown.

The reigning world champion is nine points adrift of the Ford driver at the halfway stage of the season, and he has called for Sordo to help take points away from Gronholm as much as possible.

"Every rally will be a test and it will be important not to make any mistakes, but we are going to need Dani to help us," Loeb was quoted as saying by Spanish newspaper AS.

"Especially in the four asphalt rallies left, where it will be important to try and take a one-two to reduce the gap as much as possible."

Loeb believes that Sordo will be capable of competing at the front in the second half of the season, as he has seen the Spaniard improve up close throughout this season.

"He is very good on asphalt and he is improving on gravel," he added. "He is taking his time to learn, but he has improved a lot since the start of the year."

Loeb also admitted that he will have to take more risks than he has on the way to his previous titles, as he will have to chase down the championship leader rather than defend a points advantage.

"It's going to be different from past years, because I will have to take more risks to be able to win the title," he said.

"But there is still half the year left and the problems that we've had can also hit Ford during the second half of the season."

Calendar to be reduced from 2009

The FIA has confirmed that the WRC calendar will be shortened from 2009 and that WRC cars will be based on Group N and Super 2000 cars from 2012.

A statement from the FIA said that there will be 12 events in the World Rally Championship from 2009, and that more details regarding this decision will be examined by the FIA World Rally Championship Commission.

From 2012, WRC cars will be four-wheel drive and turbo-charged, based on mass-produced Group N and Super 2000 specification cars.

The statement also added that other cost-cutting measures will be introduced.

Duval joins OMV for Germany

Francois Duval will return to the World Rally Championship with the OMV Kronos Citroen team at next month's Rally Germany.

The former Citroen works driver began the year in a First Motorsport Skoda, but recently ended that programme. His OMV deal is for Germany only, and he has been linked with Suzuki's new works effort later in the season.

"I am very happy and want to thank my partners who have made this assignment possible," Duval said. "I know that we can be very fast with the Citroen Xsara WRC in Germany and will cause quite a surprise."

Duval finished second to Sebastien Loeb in Germany in 2004 and 2005, and his OMV teammate Manfred Stohl believes he can benefit from working alongside the Belgian on an asphalt rally.

"Francois Duval undisputedly is one of the three best drivers in the WRC on tarmac," Stohl said.

"He furthermore knows the Citroen Xsara WRC. I can only profit by the comparison and collaboration - that is why I am looking forward to it."

OMV had intended for Daniel Carlsson to drive their second car for most of the season, but the Swede pulled out due to a shortage of sponsorship.

Ford: new car not a big step

Ford have said that their 2007 Focus WRC car will not lead to a significant gain in performance for the second half of the season.

The new car will make its debut when the championship resumes in Finland at the start of August, and the team are happy with the progress they have made.

The team's technical director Christian Loriaux said: "It is important not to think of the '07 car as a new car in the same way that the 2003 or 2006 models were.

"This is an evolution of the car that won the 2006 manufacturers' world title and which has taken BP-Ford into such a strong position in the 2007 championship."

Team director Jost Capito added: "The regulations mean it is impossible to find huge leaps forward when our car is already so technologically advanced.

"But any performance improvements are always a welcome boost and I believe that Christian and his team have introduced developments that will strengthen our challenge during the final eight rallies of the championship."

Marcus Gronholm currently leads the WRC standings from reigning champion Sebastien Loeb, and team director Malcolm Wilson said that both Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen have been pleased with the car in testing.

"The drivers have completed plenty of kilometers in testing and they are encouraged," he said.

"There are few visible modifications on the outside but it is underneath the skin where most of the changes are found and I'm looking forward to seeing the rewards in Finland and beyond."