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Profile: Bruno Saby Renault 5 Turbo Rally Mexico Preview

INSIDEthis week:

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WRC Rally Mexico Preview 28 February to 02 March

Eagerly anticipated by rally fans, teams and drivers alike, WRC Rally Mexico is the first of several consecutive gravel events. Strong performances on gravel rallies is important to teams and drivers, as a total of 10 out of the 15 rallies in the 2008 WRC cal-endar are run on gravel surfaces. Attacking this event’s tricky stages will not only give the drivers added confidence, but also the necessary feedback to team engineers to enable them to better fine-tune the WRC cars for rest of the rally events.

Mexico, which is situated in North America, is one of three consecutive events held outside of Europe. Based in the city of Leon, which is in the centre of the country, it offers teams a unique challenge: the majority of the 20 stages will be run in areas with an altitude of over 2 000m, with the highest stage starting at 2 737m. For the engines, a 30 percent power loss is expected! This means that drivers will be pushing hard to extract the most from their cars to compensate for the loss of engine power.Identical to last year’s event, WRC Rally Mexico 2008 is characterised by its loose surface. The hard-packed gravel lends itself to high speeds and good levels of traction, but the route consists of a combination of high- and slow-speed sections. These alternat-ing speeds make it difficult for drivers to establish a rhythm, but by driving smoothly (as Sebastien Loeb did last year), quick stage times and winning the event are possible. To highlight the high-speed/slow-speed sections of stages, the average speed for the event is 96km/h… That speed would still scare me, especially in a tight bend with a shear drop on the one side.

The route for this rally is the shortest on the WRC calendar this year, with a total of 830,83km. Of that, 43 percent is competitive distance (353,73km).

Even with relatively shot distances to travel conserving tyres is a priority. This event is considered as having high tyre wear, and with teams all using the same tyre, same tyre compound, same tread pattern, retaining tyre grip will play a crucial role in setting quick stage times.

If you can remember last year’s event, the Subaru’s of Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson showed great potential here. Loeb (Citro-

Images: RallyStuff.Net

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en Total C4 WRC) won the event, fol-lowed by Gronholm (Ford), Hirvonen (BP Ford WRT), Sordo (Citroen) and Atkinson.

The BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team had a four-day gravel test in the Chateau Lastours region in France last week, with each driver completing 400km of hard testing. Good news is that not a single puncture was suffered during this test period, giving the team valuable insight into the new Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres.

The Subaru World Rally Team also had a four-day gravel test in Spain, where they put their Impreza WRC2007 through its paces in a bid to perfectly hone the cars’ settings for the WRC Rally Mexico.

Making it interesting this year is that Loeb has been forced to change his engine for this event. Does this mean he will suffer a five minute penalty, immediately pushing him down the leader board from the outset of the event? Hirvonen will be out to prove his status as Number One in the Ford team, while Sordo will be looking to fly the Citroen flag. All in all, it will most certainly be an event worth watching!

Driver Quotes Ahead of the Event:Mikko Hirvonen: “First on the road isn’t the best place to be in Mexico because there will be loose gravel and stones on the road surface,” said the 27-year-old Finn. “It’s better to be further down the order where the roads will be cleaner but I don’t mind putting up with that if it means I lead the championship. I really don’t want to start first on Saturday or Sunday though, and it will be interesting to see if tactics come into play at the end of the first day as drivers try to obtain a better start position for the rest of the weekend. Technically the roads are a mix. About 50 per cent is quite straightforward and the rest is more difficult. There are also plenty of stones on the edge of the road. In the past, with puncture-resistant mousse in the tyres, that wouldn’t have been a problem but now it’s something I have to think about more carefully. The altitude is the most difficult aspect because the higher the stages, the less power there is and sometimes when you need the power it isn’t there. I will attack as hard as I can from the start. We had a good test last week and I was pleased with Pirelli’s gravel tyre. I’m not concerned about punctures or tyre wear.”

Jari-Matti Latvala: “I don’t have as much experience in Mexico compared to some other rounds and I need to be a bit calmer than in Sweden. Another win isn’t a realistic aim and I would be happy with a top three position. I was very satisfied with last week’s

test. Pirelli’s tyres felt strong. I had a couple of impacts with stones but no punctures so I have no concerns.”

Sebastien Loeb: “When you make a mistake and drop points, you’re bound to feel a certain amount of pressure at the start of the following event. That will probably be the case for me in Mexico which isn’t a simple event. The stages are quite varied, with a mix of wide, smooth roads and slower, twistier portions. The tyre factor will be important, too. The hard-packed surface gener-ally gives good grip, but it remains to be seen how it goes with our new Pirelli tyres. There is also a question mark concerning whether the dropping of mousse run-flat systems will lead to more punctures? It’s a factor I will need to take into account in the way I drive, and I will also need to adapt my style to the lower engine power at high altitudes. We won this event last year, so we know the C4 WRC is competitive in Mexico, and the whole team has worked very hard since last year’s visit. I will still tackle it cautiously, though, because we can’t afford to let the gap with our rivals get bigger.”

DanI Sordo: “Mexico is something of a special event for me. It’s a long way from Spain but it feels a bit like home. I like the atmosphere and the spectators give us a warm welcome. Like their Spanish counterparts, they let their enthusiasm show and its always nice to have their support. With the Manufacturers’ championship in mind, it will be important to try to finish ahead of our rivals in order to pocket as many points as possible for Citroen. It won’t be easy, but I enjoyed good runs on my first two visits here. I feel at ease on these stages and I hope I will feel as comfortable with the C4 in Leon as I did recently in the slippery condi-tions we faced in Sweden. I will also try to profit from my running order on the first day.”

Petter Solberg: “We go to Mexico knowing that we have won here in the past, but we don’t approach it any differently to Monte or Sweden. We made some good steps forward in the test last week, so we go to Mexico with a good setup. We’ll drive our own rally, push as hard as we can and see what happens. I hope we will be strong again here as it’s good for everyone if we can be fighting at the front.”

Chris Atkinson: “It’s a difficult rally with the altitude and the conditions, but we approach it with the same strategy as we have started this year with. Last year we had a good result and good pace on the first day, so if we can maintain consistency throughout the event then I hope we can get a good finish. We have a strong engine in the car that seems to perform well at altitude which I think is one of the reasons we go well here. I like the feeling of the rally as it’s good to have such a variation in speed and condi-tions that keeps you entertained! Visually it’s appealing and very different, and that’s what rallying is all about.”

Drivers’ Points1) M. Hirvonen - 16 pts2) S. Loeb - 10 pts= Latvala - 10 pts4) P. Solberg - 9 pts= G. Galli - 9 pts6) C. Atkinson - 6 pts7) F. Duval - 5 pts8) A. Mikkelsen - 4 pts

Manufacturers’ Points1) BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT- 26pts2) Subaru WRT- 16 pts= Stobart VK M-Sport WRT- 16 pts4) Citroen Total WRT- 15pts5) Suzuki Sport WRT - 5 pts

LEADERBOARD

Last year, Citroën launched the C2 Junior Experience within the framework of the FIA Junior Rally Championship. After a very positive first season, Citroën will repeat the scheme in 2008 but this time with three eligible cars: the C2 Super 1600, the C2-R2 and the new C2-R2 MAX. It is a popular move: five out of the nine cars that have entered the opening round of this year’sJunior series in Mexico are Citroëns.

“When we started the C2 Junior Experience in 2007, a large number of the Junior Championship competitors were already Citroën drivers,” comments Jean-François Liénéré, who is in charge of Citroën Sport’s customer operation. “Now, with more than half the Junior field in a Citroën at the start of Rally Mexico, we’re once again pleased to note that we are clearly responding to our customers’ demands.”

As was the case last year, the Juniors have to nominate six rallies on which to score points. They have the choice of four gravel rounds and three asphalt events, now that the option of a snow rally has been taken off the calendar. Unusually the drivers willspend a lot of time outside Europe this year, as after Mexico the Junior calendar takes in the Jordan Rally as round two.

Martin Prokop, Aaron Burkart, and Shaun Gallagher will start in Mexico with their C2 Super 1600. Francisco Fanari, at the wheel of a C2-R2 for the first time run by Team Transylvania. Two more drivers will be competing over the rest of the Junior Champi-onship with a Citroën, Vilius Rozukas from Latvia (C2 Super 1600) and Hans Weijs – a Dutch driver, supported by his national Federation - in the new C2-R2 MAX.

For all of Citroën’s Junior drivers Mexico will be a brand new experience. Alexis Avril, technical manager of the C2 Junior Experience, explains: “What sets this rally apart is the fact that the service park and stages are all at high altitude. In fact this is the highest event of the entire World Rally Championship, with the Ortega stage peaking at 2700 metres. The altitude puts a lot of strain on the mechanicals and saps the power from the engines.”

Rally Mexico will get underway with a start ceremony on Thursday night in Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Five spectator superspecials are also planned over the course of all three days of the rally. The stages are based around the city of Leon, on surfaces that can sometimes be quite rocky and roads that tend to cut up after the WRC cars have passed through. For the Jun-ior drivers, a cautious approach will pay dividends on the opening round of the championship. - Credit: Citroen Sport.

J-WRC Rally Mexico: C2 Junior Experience Preview 28 February to 02 March

Image: RallyStuff.Net

Fuel Stop: News Briefs

Rally New York organisation signed an agreement with the Town of Neversink in Sullivan County New York, which makes available new special stages within the Town of Neversink, and opened the entry for Rally New York USA to be held on April 4 – 5, 2008. The entries for Rally New York USA have already started coming in (www.RallyNewYork.com).

This development comes on the heels of the three-year contract Rally New York organization signed with the Town of Wa-warsing for the roads in the Wawarsing/Ellenville area of Ulster County, New York with a new special stage in the area of the historic Mt. Cathalia hillclimb and with the Town of Thompson in Sullivan County, New York that covers the spectacular special stage at the Concord Resort in Monticello.

In a related development, Ellenville Regional Hospital received a donation from Rally New York in appreciation of the com-munity support for Rally New York events.

Rally New York USA on April 4 – 5 is the first round of the United States Rally Championship (www.usrallychampionship.com). It is an all-tarmac event. Tarmac rallies, which are popular elsewhere, are rather rare in the US. The United States Rally Championship Competitors have the opportunity to participate in two tarmac events in two successive months – Rally New York USA in April and Rally Tennessee in May – with the same tarmac equipment. These two rallies are the only all-tarmac events in the Nation. Competitors from the western part of the Unites States may be able to make one trip to the East to par-ticipate in both events. Rally New York would store their vehicles for the second event.

Rally New York organization also presents the International Rally New York on October 31 – November 1, 2008. It is a gravel event that is the final round of the United States Rally Championship. All Rally New York events are conducted according to the international rules with three-pass reconnaissance on Thursday and two days of racing on Friday and Saturday. - Credit: Rally New York Media.

Rally New York USA entries open

Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz, the winner of three rounds of the IRC last season in Turkey, the Czech Republic and Switzerland, has signed a deal with Peugeot Belgium to drive a Peugeot 207 S2000 on the 2008 series. Vouilloz will be team mates with the experienced Freddy Loix, and a third car will also be run for a different up-and-coming young driver on every event – with the backing of BFGoodrich. The three cars will be run by the Belgian-based Kronos team, which took Sebastien Loeb to the 2006 World Rally Championship drivers’ title.

Vouilloz, a former 10-time downhill mountain bike champion, finished second in the IRC series last year and also carried out a lot of the development work on the Peugeot 207 S2000. He has been linked with Peugeot from the start of his career, and will once more be co-driven by Nicolas Klinger on this year’s IRC.

“It’s a big relief for me to get this deal sorted out, and I’d like to thank Peugeot Belgium and all my other backers for their con-stant support,” said Vouilloz. “It took a little while to organise, but I’m delighted that we’ve now got such a competitive package now.”

After such an impressive performance last year, Vouilloz will be a strong title contender in 2008. “I would never describe myself as the favourite, but I’d like to think I would be one of the favourites,” he said. “There will be some very strong opposition. The Abarth team has a good line-up and my own team mate, Freddy Loix, is fast and experienced. I’m sure there will be plenty of other drivers challenging as well. This year is definitely going to be harder than last year.”

Vouilloz will benefit from the opportunity to test his car before every round of the series this year, together with the other Peugeot Belgium drivers.

“Time in the car definitely helps a lot,” said Vouilloz. “Last year I did quite a lot of development testing with the 207, and that certainly helped my performance.” - Credit: www.rally-irc.com.

Vouilloz sings with Peugeot Belgium for IRC 2008

The International Rally Drivers Club scheme to recognise improvement will continue in 2008 in both the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship and the Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge.

The initiative was launched in 2007 to award prize money to the most improved driver on each round of the championships, taking the opener in Carlisle as a base point for improvement.

All crews will have their performance data entered into the IRDC database and their improvement will be reported after the sec-ond round of the championships and all subsequent rounds, with £200 prize money going to the most improved on each event.

As an added bonus each registered competitor in both BRC and BRCC will become an associate member of the International Rally Drivers Club, having access to the members’ only sections of the IRDC website for news, reports and developments.

Competitors will carry the distinctive IRDC crest on their sunstrips throughout the year and at the end of season awards cer-

2008 IRDC Performance Award

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The Vodafone Rally de Portugal, round two of this year’s IRC from May 9-10, will get off to a spectacular start with an all-new spectator superspecial stage run around the historic streets of Faro – the rally’s host town. The two-kilometre stage will run on Thursday night as the very first stage, using asphalt roads in the most beautiful area of Faro. An event spokesman said: “It should be a very nice stage: the route is quite quick and spectacular, so I’m sure the drivers and spectators will like it.” More information about the rally can be found on its new website: www.rallydeportugal.pt. - Credit: www.rally-irc.com.

Spectacular start for IRC Rally Portugal

Ford’s dynamic new-generation small car will be badged Fiesta around the world, the company confirmed recently. With Fi-esta, Ford continues to honour a name which has more than 30 years of success in Europe and is well known in markets across Asia, Australia and South America.

Designed and developed in Europe for sale in Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas between 2008 and 2010, the all-new Ford Fiesta is the first major product of Ford’s new global product development process.

“With the all-new Fiesta, we want to create a world standard for small car quality, design and comfort in a vehicle that is as ex-citing to drive as it is to look at. We believe this all-new model will attract a whole new generation of small car buyers, whether they are in Britain, Spain, China or California,” said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company President and CEO. “The new Ford Fiesta will set the standard for delivering to our customers products they really want and value while taking advantage of our wonderful global resources.”

Ford previewed the dynamic new design for this global family of small cars in three Ford Verve Concept vehicles. The three-door Verve Concept hatchback was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007; the four-door Verve Concept notchback was revealed at the Guangzhou Motor Show in November 2007; and a second four-door Verve Concept notchback was revealed at the North American International Auto Show in January 2008.

The all-new Ford Fiesta brings the dynamic Verve Concept exterior and interior styling to production, proving that small cars can be stylish, sophisticated and emotional. Ford design and engineering teams rejected the notion that an affordable small car has to be basic or boring.

In Europe, the all-new Ford Fiesta will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will reach showrooms from autumn 2008 in three- and five-door hatchback body styles. By 2010, the all-new Fiesta will be available in markets across Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia and the Americas in a variety of regionally tailored models from a common platform.

All-new Ford Fiesta makes major strides in small car craftsmanship, quality of materials and product choice while continuing to represent traditional strengths of practicality, value for money, agility and safety. It also introduces several big-car features to the small-car segment for the first time.

Acclaimed driving quality has been a consistent Fiesta strength throughout its life, and the all-new Fiesta upholds this reputa-tion. Ford’s chassis engineers have enhanced Fiesta’s ride comfort while also isolating the cabin from road, wind and power-train noise. The all-new Ford Fiesta is impressively quiet to drive.

While many of its competitors in the small-car segment have grown bigger and heavier, the all-new Ford Fiesta stands on virtu-ally the same footprint as did its predecessor. The new-generation Fiesta is actually lighter which is beneficial to fuel economy and CO2 emissions.

“We’re proud of what the Fiesta has achieved since its original launch in 1976,” said John Fleming, Ford of Europe’s President and CEO. “Ford has a clear vision that small cars should excel in dynamics, quality, features and safety. That’s the philosophy that has guided the development of this, the most sophisticated Fiesta ever, as well as the new Focus and Mondeo.” - Credit: SUPPLIED by Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.

Ford confirms Fiesta as global name for new car

emony the most improved driver will take home the IRDC trophy and receive complimentary tickets to The BRC Bash.

Mark Taylor, BRC manager said, “The scheme will obviously benefit drivers who make the effort to push themselves as the year goes on. So the prize money doesn’t necessarily go to the winner or class leader, but to the person who makes marked improvements from event to event.”

For more information about the International Rally Drivers Club visit www.irdc.org.uk.. For information about the Tesco 99 Oc-tane MSA British Rally Championship visit www.rallybrc.co.uk. For information about the Silverstone Tyres BRC Challenge visit www.rallybrcchallenge.co.uk.

Missed an issue of Handbrakes and Hairpins? Got an interesting motorsport story to tell, or are entering the challenging world of rallying as a competitor for the first time? Handbrakes and Hairpins would love to hear from you, and publish your story. This is YOUR rallying newsletter, so without your support Handbrakes and Hairpins would not be as entertaining a read as before you. evanrothman@gmail.com 083 452 6892

In the second feature on 2008 BRC registered competitors, 2004 British Rally Champion David Higgins is in the spotlight with his vastly experienced and ever smiling co-driver Ieuan Thomas.

David was born in 1972 on the Isle of Man. He now lives in Trefeglwys, Mid Wales, with his wife Kara and his children Alicia and Matthew. The Higgins family operate “The Forest Experience Rally School”. They teach rallying skills and give novice driv-ers the chance to experience the thrill of driving a rally car. David’s grandparents, parents and of course his brother Mark have all been successful rally drivers.

As well as teaching in Wales, David travels the world doing 1-2-1 rally coaching and gravel note making in places like Peru, China, USA, Russia, Finland, Australia and France. David got his first taste of motorsport in motorcycle trials when he was eight years old, and had moved into national kart racing by the time he was ten. David was a highly successful karter. He won seven titles against drivers including David Coulthard, and still karts today.

As soon as he got the chance David moved into rallying and was invited to drive in Richard Burns’ team in the Peugeot 205 Chal-lenge. After just one season he gained a works drive for Peugeot and won Class A5 in the British Rally Championship (BRC). He broke his neck in an accident in a works Escort in 1995, but recovered to take several BRC victories in the late nineties, including one 1600 and two Group N titles.

2001 was foot and mouth year, but David still took Group N victory on Rally GB after a fraught Formula Rally season. In 2002 he was the SCCA Pro Rally Champion in America and the British Group N champion again. The success led to a drive with the fac-tory Mitsubishi team in America in 2003, David won six events, retained his SCCA title and helped Mitsubishi take the manufac-turer’s crown too.

For 2004 it was back to Britain where David won the opening round of the British Rally Championship in a Hyundai Accent WRC. His subsequent decision to contest the full season netted his first overall British Rally Championship title. He also helped Ralliart Hong Kong take the teams championship in China by winning two of the three events he contested.

Since starting rallying he has been involved in testing for manufactures including Subaru, Seat, Proton, Peugeot and VW, testing for Mitsubishi’s WRC team in 2004 and 2005. 2006 saw him contest some World Rally Championship events, China Rally Cham-pionship (CRC) and BRC where he drove for Mitsubishi. He had some success, taking second N4 in Monte Carlo and second place team in the CRC.

2007 saw a move to a Toyota S2000 in the BRC and a continuation of his CRC campaigning in an Evo. Despite a second place on the Jim Clark, by Yorkshire he had swapped to a Subaru in which he took another two podium places. Overseas he took the China Rally Championship in style, winning every round in his Evo. In 2008 his FX Rallying outfit will be supported by TQ.com again, contesting the BRC in an Impreza N14.

His co-driver, Ieuan’s vast 20 years experience in the co-driver’s seat includes time spent in the British Rally Championship, the Chinese Rally Championship, the MSA Gravel Rally Championship, the Evo Challenge, the Irish Tarmac Championship, the Welsh National Forestry Championship, the Skoda Trophy Championship, Welsh Clubman’s Forestry Championship and Welsh Road Rally Championship.

Ieuan also has experience of rallies from behind the scenes, having been Clerk of the Course on a Welsh championship road rally event. He has also spent time working for Mitsubishi Ralliart on Rally GB and Monte Carlo rallies as a gravel and ice-note collec-tion crew, and spent two seasons with Peugeot Sport UK working as gravel crew for Justin Dale/Andrew Bargery in the BRC.Other highlights of Ieuan’s career include competing on Pikes Peak, co-driving for Hannu Mikkola on the RAC Rally, and com-peting all over the world including events in America, China, the Czech Republic, Finland and Africa.Now part of the TQ.com team, Ieuan co-drives for David in the BRC and CRC, the pair having built a good relationship over the years. - Credit: www.rallybrc.co.uk.

British Rally Championship Crew Profile #2: David Higgins and Ieuan Thomas

Driver: David HigginsDOB: 14/11/1972Lives: Trefeglwys, Mid WalesCar: Subaru Impreza N14Website: www.davidhigginsrally.com

Co-driver: Ieuan ThomasDOB: 03/11/1971Lives: Blaenau, Carmarthenshire

Images: www.davidhigginsrally.com

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The Renault 5 Turbo is a typical underdog car. With small dimensions, seemingly low power figures, and backed with small money, this car proved itself a winner on its debut!

Driven by Jean Ragnotti, the Renault 5 Turbo won the WRC Rally Monte Carlo in its debut event in the World Rally Champion-ship. This two-wheel drive rally car was soon, however, outclassed with the introduction of the mighty Group B rally cars that began to appear in late 1980. It was among the fastest of its era, especially on tarmac.

I could not scratch up too much technical information on the vehicle, other than that it was powered by a 157kW engine in its debut event, and then considerably beefed up later in its development to a reported (but unconfirmed) 261kW!

This week’s favourite WRC rally car: Renault 5 Turbo WRC

Rallying is the most thrilling form of motorsport today, attracting an interna-tional audience of tens of millions each event. With boundless levels of talent, the drivers and navigators mesmerise these spectators with their gravity-defying antics. But, what got them started in sport? What makes them tick? Drivers and navigators: please send me these answers to evanrothman@gmail.com!

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Bruno Saby has been involved in top-level motorsport since 1973, and has up until recently been a driver for the Volkswagen Rally Raid team.

Born on 23 February 1949 in France, turned his hands to rally-ing early in his life. In 1981 he won the French Rally Champion in a Renault 5 Turbo, and then later rallied for Peugeot and Lancia in the World Rally Championship.

He proved most successful on asphalt events, but was also quick on gravel rallies. Saby won two WRC events in his career, first in a Peugeot 205 T16, and then in a Lancia Delta Integrale.

Past WRC Master: Bruno Saby

FASTFACTS

FASTFACTS

Nationality: FrenchActive years: 1973 - 1991Teams: Renault, Peugeot, LanciaWorld rallies: 39Championships: 0Wins: 2Podium finishes: 7Stage wins: 58Points: 192First world rally: 1973 Monte Carlo RallyFirst win: 1986 Tour de CorseLast win: 1988 Monte Carlo RallyLast world rally: 1991 RAC Rally

Image: maximum-attack.net - Cobra OTG 427

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Brakes are an essential component of any WRC car, and in slowing the car down play just as important a role in boosting overall speed. Quite apart from simply slowing the car, drivers use the brakes to position and balance the car on its approach to corners and to slide through tight hairpins whilst maintaining engine speed.

Each car’s brake setup is also different for gravel and asphalt rallies, owing to the different demands and usage in each condition.

Subaru WRT Behind-the-scenes Feature:Impreza’s brakes - an asphalt vs. gravel comparison

For an asphalt rally, the Impreza WRC2007s use 366mm AP Racing brake discs at the front of the car and 305mm discs at the rear. These are wrapped by eight-pot AP calipers up front and four-pot variants at the rear. On asphalt there is generally more available grip than on gravel, so more force can be exerted through the brakes without the wheels locking, generating more friction. Speeds are also generally higher, leading to higher loads.

The bigger discs and callipers enable more braking force to be exerted, slowing the car down more rapidly, and the increased surface area is more efficient as dissipating the resulting heat. Whilst the discs and brake pads are designed to work at a high tem-perature, there is an optimum level and overheating can lead to reduced performance. Never normally a consideration on the road, water jets can be used to cool the front brakes which can reach temperatures of 860 degrees Celsius. The brake fluid temperature can also reach 120 degrees Celsius.

By contrast, the brake setup for a gravel car is typically smaller, owing to the facts that braking forces are reduced on the loose surface, and the smaller wheels used on gravel would not physically fit over asphalt brake discs. In these conditions, the front discs are 305mm AP racing items, coupled to four-pot calipers both front and rear. The rear brakes remain the same for both sur-faces.

On asphalt, the front brakes do the vast majority of the work in slowing the car down, so brake bias will tend to be set towards the front. Brake bias is the split of the braking force between the front and rear brakes. On gravel, the bias will be more towards the rear to help slide the car into the corners.

To help slide the rear on asphalt, the handbrake system is hydraulic and so very efficient. The lever is positioned where you’d ex-pect a road car’s gear stick to be, meaning that drivers can easily reach without moving their hand too far from the steering wheel. As with the rear brake setup, the handbrake is the same for both gravel and asphalt rallies. - Credit: SWRT Media.

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Images: SWRT Media

Suzuki’s WRC Challenge: Examined!The new kids on the block, Suzuki Sport WRC have already scored their first five points in their WRC debut season in two events. With a strong driver line-up, this new team will be fighting for a podium position by the end of this season!

Who are the drivers, and what about the car? Here is an in-depth look at the Suzuki Sport WRC Team.

BRAKES Front: 370mm ventilated discs (tarmac), 8-pot calpers 300mm ventilated discs (gravel), 4-pot calipers Rear: 355mm ventilated discs (tarmac), 8-pot calpers 300mm ventilated discs (gravel), 4-pot calipers Hydraulic Handbrake

POWERTRAIN Driving wheels: Four-wheel drive Gearbox: 5-speed manual with sequen-tial controls on steering wheel Clutch: Carbon three-disc Center differential: Electronically controlled Front and rear differential: Mechanical

ENGINE Type: Turbocharged, water-cooled, developed from the J20 engine, in-line 4, DOHC, 16-valve Cylinder capacity: 1,997cm3 Maximum power: 235kW @ 4,000rpm-4,500rpm Maximum torque: 590Nm @ 3,500rpm Fuel Supply: ECU(32 bit CPU)

SUSPENSION Front and rear: MacPherson strut with coil springs and Reiger shocks

WHEELS AND TYRES Wheels: 8 x 18inch (tarmac) 7 x 15inch (gravel) 6 x 16inch (ice) Tyres: 235/40 - 18 (tarmac) 205/65 - 15 (gravel) 145/85 - 16 (ice)

DIMENSIONS Overall length: 4,135mm Overall width: 1,770mm Overall height: 1,450mm Wheelbase: 2,500mm Weight: 1,230kg (minimum)

Images: Suzuki Sport Media

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Images: Suzuki Sport Media

Per-Gunnar Andersson Nationality: Swedish Date of birth: 10 March 1980 Results: -1999 Rally debut -2000 Champion in junior class in two Swedish rallies -2002 WRC debut in Sweden (winner in class) -2003 Swedish Super 1600 champion -2004 Champion, JWRC -2005 Second place in JWRC -2006 Fourth place in JWRC -2007 Champion, JRC

Jonas Andersson Nationality: Swedish Date of birth: 1 January 1977

Toni Gardemeister Nationality: Finnish Date of birth: 31 March 1975 Results: -1993 Rally debut -1994 WRC debut (1000 Lakes Rally) -1997 Finland F2 class champion -2000 Seat works driver -2002 Skoda works driver -2005 Ford works driver (placed fourth in WRC)

Tomi Tuominen Nationality:Finnish Date of birth: 8 November 1971

Driver Car #12

Driver Car #11

Co-Driver Car #12

Co-Driver Car #11