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Rally Argentina next up for WRC contenders

The 2011 World Rally Championship heads to South America this week and Argentina's classic contest.

This is a summary of how the main contenders have prepared and what some of the leading drivers have had to say in the build-up to the challenging event.

Citroen Total World Rally Team
Undefeated in the world championship in Argentina since 2004 and victorious on the last four rounds this season, Citroen heads to South America on a high. It will rely on data accumulated during tests in Portugal and Italy earlier this season to determine a workable set-up for Argentina. The squad also spent part of last week running a DS3 WRC on asphalt using the regulation soft compound Michelin gravel tyre to give its drivers an understanding of how the car will perform on the chunks of Tarmac sections included on this year’s route. Jetlag won’t be a problem for the Citroen team: last Saturday Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier took part in a road show event on the city’s Place de la Republique, which was watched by an estimated 50,000 fans.

Sebastien Loeb: “Our results [so far this season] are the fruit of the whole team’s work. It’s a good sign to see that the Citroen DS3 WRCs seem to have a slight advantage on gravel, but the gaps are tiny at the end of each rally. We’ll have to be quick right from the start, and go pedal to the metal till the end as with a stage of 48 kilometres to start the last day, there’s no question of letting up.”

Sebastien Ogier: “We’re coming here with much greater ambitions than two years ago. The route’s fantastic and very varied. You have to have very accurate pace notes as certain passages are very narrow with big stones on the edge of the line like Mina Clavero and El Condor. Others are more sandy but bumpy as always.”

Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
Argentina’s last appearance in the world championship back in 2009 was a somewhat frustrating affair for the factory Ford squad. Mikko Hirvonen retired on day two with an engine fault while Jari-Matti Latvala was hit by an electrical glitch on his way to a distant sixth place. Ford devoted a day of its pre-Rally d’Italia Sardegna test last month to sample its Fiesta RS WRCs on asphalt using soft compound gravel tyres so it could be a step ahead of its rivals on the Tarmac sections on this year’s competition. And since Sardinia both Hirvonen and Latvala have tested on gravel during a four-day pre-Acropolis Rally of Greece session. While the test targeted finding a strong set-up for the rough Greek stages, it has given both Finns recent running.

Mikko Hirvonen: “The mixed surface stages will be hard for the tyres. But the car felt really good on asphalt in testing. It’s the first time for the new-generation cars on that surface in competition, so it will be new for us all. There is a little bit of everything in this rally - gravel, asphalt, river crossings, long stages. May is late autumn in Argentina and we can't be sure how the weather will be. My speed on the last round in Italy was good and I was happy with the pace of the car, so I’m confident I can reproduce that.”

Jari-Matti Latvala: “It’s always a demanding rally over tough stages and this year there are plenty of kilometres on asphalt which we must drive on gravel tyres. Friday's first leg is held on technical roads, which contrasts with the second leg, which is based in fast stages and characterised by jumps and water crossings. Then the final leg contains what is probably the longest test in the championship this season. So it’s important for a driver to adapt to the changes in rhythm each day.”

M-Sport Stobart Ford World Rally Team
With Henning Solberg withdrawing his entry to focus on his programme for the remainder of 2011, the M-Sport Stobart squad is down to two representatives in South America: Mads Ostberg and Matthew Wilson. While Ostberg is an Argentine rookie, this will be Wilson’s fifth appearance on the rally, which was the scene of his first world championship point and stage win back in 2006. Like Ostberg Wilson will take the start in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC without a pre-event test. However, he will be in top physical condition after he completed a 130-kilometre charity bike ride in Scotland earlier this month. Ostberg’s preparations took in a promotional event in his native Norway with Olympic skiing champion Petter Northug to mark the 60th anniversary of the Norwegian Vi Menn magazine. Ostberg also celebrated Norwegian Constitution Day last Tuesday.

Mads Ostberg: “For the third time this year, I’m going to a rally that I’ve never been to before. But we went to Mexico without any expectations and I finished fifth so I’d like to get a similar result. Saturday could be difficult - there’s going to be 20 kilometres on asphalt and we’ll have a gravel set-up. I’ve driven the Ford Fiesta S2000 on asphalt before but the Fiesta RS WRC will be a completely different experience again.”

Matthew Wilson: “I really like Rally Argentina. The roads are very flowing and I prefer the stages over there compared to the last round in Sardinia. The road surface can be quite sandy which could mean that rocks will be pulled onto the road, so that could be something to keep at an eye out for. Also, because the surface can be soft, big ruts can be formed after the first pass. Managing tyre wear could be a challenge in Argentina but the new Michelin Latitude tyres proved very tough in Jordan and Sardinia so hopefully punctures are something that we won’t have to worry about next week.”