The recce has finished and the next time the drivers taking part in the 2006 PT-Rally de Portugal get behind the wheel, it will be in their rally cars, as they line up ready for the pre-event shakedown.
The proximity of the stages to the rally headquarters, at the Algarve Stadium, meant that all crews comfortably recce’d all twelve stages in just one and a half days, allowing them time to rest before the beginning of the event.
A relatively wet winter meant that, for drivers who had taken part in the 2005 event, like winner Daniel Carlsson, parts of the stages were a little different. “There is not as much loose gravel and sand on top of the roads in places as last year,” he explained. “The bedrock is showing more and this will probably be more abrasive.”
Seeing the Algarve stages for the first time though, was former Subaru, Ford and Peugeot works driver, Markko Martin, making his return to competitive driving in Portugal. “The stages here have a bit of everything; slow and fast, rough and smooth. I think for the FIA World Rally Championship, it’s a good mix of stages – an interesting selection.” However, the Estonian was a little reticent to make predictions about his performance. “I haven’t driven a group N car for 10 years, so I don’t know quite what to expect on these stages.” The Candidate event pits a host of invited drivers against each other, in identical Group N Subarus, creating an fascinating battle of rally experience against Group N expertise.
Weather forecasts predict rain for the duration of the event but from Martin’s points of view, running first on the road, this may not necessarily be a problem. “I wouldn’t mind some rain, as it’s quite loose on top, so maybe it would pack the surface. Otherwise, it could be quite difficult.”
Portuguese national champion, Armindo Araújo, who finished third in 2005, is approaching the 2006 event in a very different way, in his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo8. “Last year, the focus was to score points for the Portuguese championship, so I did not push so hard and risk that,” he explained. “But this year, I am going to push at maximum to see how my speed compares with the WRC drivers. My goal is to get into the WRC, so I need to see how I compare. If things go wrong here, then I have another six events to try to score points for the Portuguese championship for this year.”
Another WRC regular stepping into Group N machinery in Portugal is former Skoda driver, Janne Touhino, who visits Portugal for the first time. “The stages here are very nice; technical, with very fast and twisty sections within the same stage. This makes it quite interesting for the drivers – it means you have to concentrate very hard. But it will definitely be a fun rally. For the top drivers, they will go flat out. I drove Group N for the last time in 1999, so we see how we go! It will be interesting to see how the stages become if it’s raining. Some local drivers told us parts can be very slippery, which may cause a few surprises.”
More familiar with the Group N category is young Swedish driver Patrik Flodin, currently leading the Swedish Rally Championship. However, he has yet to test his new Impreza WRX on gravel. “Shakedown here will be our first time on gravel with this car,” he said. “But these stages are very nice. It’s also interesting that they are quite different, slower on Friday but much faster and more flowing on Saturday, more like Sweden or Finland. Everything I have seen so far has been very good – the organisation, the recce, excellent. No queues for the stages on the recce, which was very welcome!”
Running alongside Markko Martin is his Estonia Protégé, Martin Rauam, who was experiencing the Portuguese stages for the first time. “I’m used to very fast stages in Estonia,” he said, “so my pace note system doesn’t suit the slower stages here so well. But the second leg is more like what I’m used to, so that should be easier for me. There are quite a lot of rocks by the side of the roads here and on Group N cars, it’s quite easy to break things, so we will need to be a little careful. The main goal is to finish and gain experience; we’ll leave the main competition for back in Estonia.”
Heading the Super 1600 category is Suzuki pilot Urmo Aava, also from Estonia, driving the Suzuki Swift. “These stages are very nice,” he said. “They remind me in places of Greece, now that it is not as rough as it used to be. I think they will be fun to drive at full speed and should suit the S1600 cars quite well – there aren’t too many uphill climbs, for example. I think if it rains, for us it shouldn’t be too bad, as the surface is quite hard and rocky, so it shouldn’t get too muddy. But we’ll have to see how slippery the rocks become, if it does rain.”
Another name familiar to the WRC but not on the entry list is Dani Sordo, who will be driving the Zero car, a Citroen Xsara World Rally Car. His role is two-fold and a fine balancing act; to check the stages for safety while verifying them at WRCar speeds. “It is tricky to find the right pace,” he explained. “Too fast and I cannot concentrate on checking for safety. Too slow and it is no good for checking the stages are good for the WRCar. Also, too slow and it is very easy to make mistakes.”
