The Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports crews of Gilles Panizzi/Hervé Panizzi and Kristian Sohlberg/Kaj Lindström completed their preparations for the 2004 Propecia Rally New Zealand during today's shakedown stage, running the Lancer WRC04s for the final time ahead of tomorrow's start and opening two runs at the Manukau super special stage.
Rally New Zealand, the fourth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, is a firm favorite on the 16-round calendar, the smooth and fast flowing roads on the North Island providing some of the world's finest stages. However, at this time of year, the autumnal weather can also be unpredictable with no fewer than four seasons occurring in one day, and today's shakedown saw a mix of nearly everything. As the crews powered over the 4.51 kilometer stage to the north of Auckland, they were greeted by a mix of patchy sunshine, wind and drizzly rain, much of which is forecast for the weekend ahead.
The all-French crew of Gilles and Hervé Panizzi completed four runs over the stage in the Lancer WRC04, the pair happy with the progress the team has made since its last outing in México. “I like the car,” stated Gilles. “The engineers have done some good work on the suspension and we have new dampers for this rally. I am very happy with the balance and the car is much easier to drive. The feeling is really different; for me it is not the same car and I can see it getting better and better. Conditions are still very dusty and if the roads stay dry, it will be very slippery, especially for the car first on the road. It's going to be pretty difficult because although the surface is very smooth, there's a lot of loose stuff on the top. We will see, but I am feeling good at the moment.”
Team-mates Kristian Sohlberg and Kaj Lindström were equally happy with the progress and Sohlberg in particular is looking forward to starting an event in which he has traditionally run well.
“We have made some good progress and improved the suspension quite a lot since México,” said the Finn. “The changes we made during the test are definitely going in the right direction and for sure I have more confidence in the car. New Zealand has been good for me in the past and I am feeling quite confident. The stages are fast with lots of changes in camber, but there is lots of loose gravel which, for our starting position, should be okay.”
Adding to the drivers' comments, MMSP's Technical Director Mario Fornaris said: “We have modified the dampers after our last test and this new solution is working well. The time between rallies is still short for development work, but this is a step forward for us.” Mitsubishi Motors drivers will also be gunning for their third consecutive win this weekend during the third round of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship. “Dani” Solà currently leads the series in his Lancer Evolution but all 20 of the registered contenders are competing in the event and nail- biting competition is guaranteed over some of the world's finest roads.
Spain's Dani Solà currently holds a five point series advantage over main rival Toshihiro Arai but is under no illusion that a second victory off the back of México will be easy.
“This is a nice rally to drive and I hope we can keep our Championship lead,” said the Spanish Lancer Evolution driver. “But these are difficult roads; so high speed.”
Jani Paasonen, another of Mitsubishi's 2004 rally winners (Swedish Rally), holds third position in the Championship but the Finn needs a solid result to keep his series aspirations on track.
“This is a good rally, a bit like Finland, and I hope my experience helps us here,” said Jani. “But it won't be easy as there is a lot of opposition.”
“Gigi” Galli cannot be considered a New Zealand expert, but the Italian has set some impressive times so far this season and is likely to be on the pace in his Lancer Evolution.
“It is important for me to get a good result,” he said. “I want to show I am one of the fastest drivers on gravel.”
Nutahara may well be contesting his first season in the world championship, but the Japanese driver has useful experience of New Zealand's roads. “I like New Zealand, it's very smooth gravel and high speed,” he said. “It is my third time here and I hope for the best result, maybe third place.”
While a host of top drivers will be fighting for honors in this highly- competitive series, yet more non-registered crews will also be fighting for overall victory in the Group N category. The action looks set to be fast and furious…
Rally New Zealand, which will be running in accordance with the Mille Pistes format, kicks off on Thursday evening with the start and two runs around the 2.10 kilometer super special stage in Manukau, on the outskirts of Auckland. The action starts at 19:25 hrs (GMT+12) when the first of the 58 entered crews takes the start.
