The 2012 FIA World Rally Championship season will reach its halfway point on the other side of the world at the Brother Rally New Zealand. Although certain to come away from Oceania still leading the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ World Championships, the Citroën Total World Rally Team and the Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena crew will be aiming to make this long-distance trip a positive experience. Second in the overall standings, Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen will also be keen to defend their position!
Rally New Zealand was not included in last year’s calendar (since it alternates with Rally Australia), but it is one of the rounds that is most appreciated by the drivers, who particularly enjoy the gravel roads on the North Island. Compared with the last time the rally featured in the WRC, the itinerary includes a significant part of the stages run around Raglan and Wangarei again, starting with the legendary Whaanga Coast, often acclaimed as the WRC’s most beautiful stage. Concentrated on roads around Auckland, day three will see the return of stages that have not been used since the 1990s.
Winners of four of the six rallies held so far this season, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena start the event as leaders of the World Championship. 30 points clear of their team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lethtinen, the eight-time World Champions will hold onto the lead over the summer break, regardless of the outcome in New Zealand. Before totting up his points for the first half of the season, Sébastien's thoughts turned to the enjoyment he gets from this special rally: “This rally may well be the pinnacle when it comes to driving on gravel. It’s a bit like Finland… exceptthe trees are much further back from the side of the road! It has often been said that it’s an extremely quick course, but I think it’s actually quite varied, with some really twisty sections. It is a rally where you need to be pushing all the time. If you’re not giving it 100%, you can see it in the times straight away.”
Winner of the event in 2005 and 2008, Seb’s memories of the trip to New Zealand are not however all good ones:“True enough, I have won the rally twice out of six attempts, but I have also made some mistakes here. Some when Iwas pushing hard, some when I had adopted a more measured pace. The speeds we reach here are such that you haveto stay perfectly focussed all the time.”
Despite finishing on the podium three times here, Mikko Hirvonen has yet to win this rally. The Finn is nonetheless oneof this event's biggest fans: “It is certainly worth the 24-hour flight to get to Auckland. After the recent ‘rough’ gravelrallies, I’m pleased to be back on a surface that places greater emphasis on speed. We have already racked up fourpodium finishes this season and I am really hoping for another good result here.”
“With four wins out of the first six rallies, including two one-two finishes, the Citroën Total World Rally Team is on agood run,” reiterated Yves Matton, Citroën Racing Team Principal. “The trip to New Zealand should enable us at leastto confirm if not increase our lead in both championships. The outcome of this rally is still far from certain, however,and we have seen in recent rounds that the gaps between the leading cars are very narrow. Everything suggests we’llsee yet another ding-dong battle in the World Rally Championship!”
THREE QUESTIONS FOR… MIKKO HIRVONEN
You finished in second position at the Acropolis Rally, but you make no secret of yourpreference for quicker surfaces… like the one on this next rally!“Yes, Rally New Zealand is just great. Obviously, my favourite event is still Rally Finland,but this really is one of my favourites. The stages are run on fast-flowing roads and theyallow you – or rather force you – to adopt a good pace right every inch of the way. It's greatfun to drive like that and I can’t wait to get there. This year, there are over 400 kilometresof stages to run, which makes it all the more exciting!”It has often been said that the roads in New Zealand are quite specific, with series ofbanked corners that form a sort of propeller. Is it really special from a driving point ofview?
“Most rallies have their specific features and Rally New Zealand is no exception; the gravel roads are indeedcharacterised by their pronounced camber. You have to be very precise during reconnaissance and note down carefullyon which side of the road you need to position the car for braking. If you are on the wrong side, you can end up tiltingthe car and you’re certain to go off the road! You have to ‘master’ the contours of the roads, so that you can negotiatethe bends more quickly. When you manage to do that, it’s exhilarating.”In recent years, this rally has seen some very close finishes. Do you think there is an objective reason for that?“I think it’s related to the nature of the roads. There is no rough gravel on the course and so it’s very unusual for theleading contenders to experience major problems at the start of the race. New Zealand is all about pure speed; wedrive flat out from start to finish. The time differences can therefore be very minimal between those who have found theright pace. The race can come down to the last few stages. When there are several of us ‘busting a gut’ to try and winthe rally, anything can happen!”
BROTHER RALLY NEW ZEALAND Round: 7/13 Base and service park: Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland Surface: Gravel Weather: The month of June marks the start of winter in the southern hemisphere. The climate is temperate withtemperatures ranging – on average – from 9°C to 15°C. A few intermittent showers are likely at this time of year. Sunrise and sunset on the first day of the rally: 7.34am/5.12pm Local time: UTC+12 Currency: Local currency is the New Zealand dollar. NZD 1 = EUR 0.62
Technical information: Spare parts (transmission, subframes, steering racks and turbochargers) are to be shared with theArgentina and Greece rallies. Tyres: 35 Michelin Latitude Cross tyres per car (including free practice and the Qualifying Stage). First choice: hard compoundtyres. Alternative choice: soft compound tyres (max. of 10 tyres). Reconnaissance: Monday 18 June, from 12pm to 8pm, Tuesday 19 June, from 9am to 5pm and Wednesday 20 June, from9am to 5pm. Free practice and qualifying stage: Thursday 21 June, from 8am to 11am, Inland Road, Helensville. The stage is 5.06kilometres long. Route: 22 special stages (13 different stages). 413.94km of timed sections. Total distance: 1,657.9km
BROTHER RALLY NEW ZEALAND ITINERARY
THURSDAY 21 JUNE 2012 CET time8.00am (local time) Wednesday 10.00pm Free practice10.33am 00.33am Qualifying Stage – Inland Road (5.06km)5.30pm 7.30am FIA Pre-Event Press Conference (Media Centre)7.00pm 9.00am Choice of starting positions for the first two stages
FRIDAY 22 JUNE 20126.00am Thursday 8.00pm Start8.28am Thursday 10.28pm SS1 – Te Hutewai 1 (11.18km)8.51am Thursday 10.51pm SS2 – Brother Whaanga Coast 1 (29.67km)10.24am 00.24am SS3 – Te Akau South 1 (31.82km)11.07am 1.07am SS4 – Te Akau North 1 (32.13km)1.07pm 3.07am Remote Service A – Raglan (15 min)1.33pm 3.33am SS5 – Te Hutewai 2 (11.18km)1.56pm 3.56am SS6 – Brother Whaanga Coast 2 (29.67km)3.29pm 5.29am SS7 – Te Akau South 2 (31.82km)4.12pm 6.12am SS8 – Te Akau North 2 (32.13km)6.45pm 8.45am Service Park B – Viaduct Events Centre (45 min)
SATURDAY 23 JUNE 20127.10am Friday 9.10pm Service Park C – Viaduct Events Centre (45 min)9.13am Friday 11.13pm SS9 – Batley (17.61km)10.01am 00.01am SS10 – Brother Mititai 1 (23.22km)10.34am 1.34am SS11 – Girls High School 1 (26.99km)12.29pm 2.29am Remote Service D – Whangarei (15 min)2.02pm 4.02am SS12 – Whaipu Gorge (11.38km)2.25pm 4.25am SS13 – Brooks (13.60km)3.08pm 5.08am SS14 – Brother Mititai 2 (23.22km)3.41pm 5.41am SS15 – Girls High School 2 (26.99km)7.03pm 9.03am Service Park E – Viaduct Events Centre (45 min)
SUNDAY 24 JUNE 20126.40am Saturday 8.40pm Service Park F – Viaduct Events Centre (15 min)8.08am Saturday 10.08pm SS16 – Burnside/Wech Access 1 (7.30km)8.26am Saturday 10.26pm SS17 – Brother Puhoi 1 (17.94km)9.44am Saturday 11.43pm SS18 – SSS Auckland Domain 1 (2.05km)10.34am 00.34am Service Park G – Viaduct Events Centre (30 min)11.28am 1.28am SS19 – SSS Auckland Domain 2 (2.05km)12.36pm 2.36am SS20 – Brother Puhoi 2 (17.94km)1.09pm 3.09am SS21 – Auckland Conventions Ahuroa (6.75km)1.40pm 3.40am SS22 – Burnside/Wech Access 2 (Power Stage) (7.30km)2.53pm 4.53am Service Park H – Viaduct Events Centre (10 min)3.30pm 5.30am Podium
