Ford’s hard chargers prepared for close combat in New Zealand

Latvala and Miikka Anttila won the most recent fixture there in 2010, emerging from the last speed test with a slender 2.4sec advantage after a thrilling four-car showdown. It is the fourth-closest finish in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship. 

 

Six years earlier Solberg won by just 5.9sec following a similarly action-packed rally.  Fittingly, both drivers clinched victory in the classic Whaanga Coast special stage, one of the sport’s iconic and most challenging venues. 

 

Rally New Zealand, round seven of the 13-event WRC, is the last outing before a six-week break and the 500th championship encounter since the series began in 1973. Drivers regard the flowing gravel roads as among the best in the world and both 27-year-old Latvala and 37-year-old Solberg, partnered by Chris Patterson, list the event as one of their favourites. 

 

The cambered roads around the North Island Maori-stronghold of Auckland are as smooth as a billiard table and positively entice drivers to attack. They wind through lush, green countryside and the scenery is as stunning as the roads, the picture postcard views over the Tasman Sea from Whaanga Coast being some of the finest of the championship.

 

Late June is the middle of winter in the Land of the Long White Cloud and rain will be a constant threat. Car reliability will be crucial, as the opening two legs offer just a 15-minute remote service midway through, in which teams can make repairs using only parts carried in the cars. This will be particularly true in the first leg which, at 209.60km, contains more than half the competitive distance.

 

“The first day will be tough because the stages are long and there is just one short service zone to make repairs if we have problems,” said Latvala. “We will have limited access to spare parts, so it’s vital to avoid mechanical issues. The famous Whaanga Coast stage will be run twice in the leg and it’s one of the most challenging tests in the championship. There are always dramas on those roads. 

 

“It was the final stage in 2010 and to come out of there and find I had won the rally was a great, great moment after such a hard battle. Four of us had the chance to win but the stage caught out the three others. It is one of the sport’s great challenges.

 

“The roads are used daily by the public so they have a smooth, hard surface with a lot of camber. As you cross the camber through the flowing corners, it feels as though the car is dancing. It’s a great feeling and it’s hard not to attack over such wonderful stages. Because it’s mid-winter, the risk of rain is higher and the roads may not be quite as smooth as we have been used to,” added Latvala.  

 

Solberg, too, has great respect for Whaanga Coast. “It’s a special place. It’s incredibly twisty and hugely technical towards the finish and a stage where the drivers come to the fore. It’s tricky, but a driver can really make a difference with a good performance through there,” said the Norwegian.

 

“It’s winter in New Zealand so there’s a good chance the temperatures will be low and rain is likely. That will make it hard to generate heat into the hard compound tyres, which will be our primary option for the rally. It’s the same for everyone and there’s nothing we can do about it, but the other side of the coin is that the Fiesta RS WRC works well with hard compound rubber.

 

“Looking back to the previous round in Greece, I knew the risks when I raised my pace by half a per cent on the final day and I made a mistake that was costly. But I could sense victory then. I want to win and I’m confident that victory will come very soon. New Zealand would be a great place for it to happen,” he added. 

 

* Michelin’s Latitude Cross gravel tyres will be used by the Ford drivers and 35 of these will be available in hard compound. New-for-2012 regulations mean drivers will also have 10 soft compound tyres available if conditions are wet and muddy. However, only 35 units can be used in total during qualifying and the rally itself. Teams are not allowed to hand-carve additional cuts into the tyres and each car can carry two spare wheels.

 

* Five privately-run Fiesta RS WRCs are entered. Ott Tänak / Kuldar Sikk and Evgeny Novikov / Denis Giraudet are nominated by M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. Monster World Rally Team’s Ken Block / Alex Gelsomino will make their second WRC start of the season while Brazil World Rally Team will be present, but with team manager Manfred Stohl / Tina-Maria Monego making a one-off appearance. It will be Stohl’s first WRC outing since December 2007. The Fiesta RS WRC entries are completed by Finns Jari Ketomaa / Mika Stenberg.

 

* Latvala warmed up for the rally by winning the historic class in the POP Pankki SM-Ralli last Saturday. Latvala and co-driver Asko Sairanen took the class honours by more than five minutes in a Ford Escort RS Mk2 on the one-day event based at Lapua in western Finland.

 

The route returns to areas familiar to the drivers, but is centred around a new service park at the recently completed Wynyard Quarter on Auckland’s waterfront. After Thursday evening’s start ceremony, drivers journey south-west the following day to the Tasman Sea coastline for tests near Raglan, including two passes through Whaanga Coast. Raglan hosts a remote service midway through the leg. The second day heads to the Northland region for stages in the Whangarei and Kaipara districts, with another remote service in Whangarei itself. The final day is just north of Auckland, covering roads not used since the 1990s. It includes two passes over a short asphalt test at the city’s War Memorial Museum, as well as the final Power Stage, which offers bonus points to the fastest three drivers. Drivers face 22 stages covering 413.94km in a route of 1656.38km.  

For more information: Contact Mark Wilford or Russell Atkins at the Ford World Rally Team media desk in Auckland Tel: + 64 9 352 2826. Images available at www.worldrallypics.com/ford 

 

 

 

QS          Inland Road                           5.06km         10.33

 

Start       Viaduct Events Centre                                 06.00

SS1        Te Hutewai 1                        11.18km         08.28

SS2        Brother Whaanga Coast 1 29.67km        08.51

SS3        Te Akau South 1                  31.82km         10.24

SS4        Te Akau North 1                   32.13km         11.07

RSZ A    Raglan (15 mins)                                          13.07

SS5        Te Hutewai 2                         11.18km        13.33

SS6        Brother Whaanga Coast 2 29.67km        13.56

SS7        Te Akau South 2                  31.82km         15.29

SS8        Te Akau North 2                   32.13km         16.12

Serv B    Viaduct Events Centre (flexi 45 mins)       18.45

Finish     Viaduct Events Centre                                 19.30

 

Total                                                     209.60km

 

Serv C    Viaduct Events Centre (15 mins)               07.10

SS9        Batley                                     17.61km         09.13

SS10      Brother Mititai 1                   23.22km         10.01

SS11      Girls High School 1              26.99km        10.34

RSZ D    Whangarei (15 mins)                                   12.29

SS12      Waipu Gorge                        11.38km         14.02

SS13      Brooks                                   13.60km         14.25

SS14      Brother Mititai 2                   23.22km         15.08

SS15      Girls High School 2              26.99km         15.41

Serv E    Viaduct Events Centre (flexi 45 mins)        19.03

Finish     Viaduct Events Centre                                  19.48

 

Total                                                       143.01km

 

 

Serv F    Viaduct Events Centre (15 mins)                 06.40

SS16      Burnside / Wech Access 1  7.30km          08.08

SS17      Brother Puhoi 1                    17.94km          08.26

SS18      SSS Auckland Domain 1      2.05km          09.44

Serv G    Viaduct Events Centre (30 mins)                10.34

SS19      SSS Auckland Domain 2      2.05km          11.28

SS20      Brother Puhoi 2                    17.94km         12.36

SS21      Ahuroa                                      6.75km         13.09

SS22      Burnside / Wech Access 2  7.30km         13.40

Serv H    Viaduct Events Centre (10 mins)                14.53                                                  

Finish     Silo Park, Jellicoe Street                              15.30

Total                                                     61.33km

Rally total                                           413.94km