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Wales Rally GB 08 Preview 76 th Wales Rally GB (December 4-7, 2008) Citroën targeting the championship double in Wales True to tradition, the grand finale of this year's World Rally Championship will take crews to Great Britain for the Wales Rally GB, the 15 th and ultimate encounter of the season which will settle the outcome of the 2008 Manufacturers' title chase. Having made sure of the Drivers' crown with Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena* in Japan, the Citroën Total squad is particularly fired up as it bids to seal the championship double. C4 WRCs have been entered for the five-time World Champions* and their Spanish team-mates Dani Sordo/Marc Martí. Two other C4 WRCs have been entered to contest the British round. They will be in the hands of Conrad Rautenbach/David Senior and of the recently-crowned Junior World Champions* Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia, and both will be prepared and run by PH Sport with the support of technical staff from Citroën Sport The majority of the route of this year's Wales Rally GB, which provides a little more than 348km of competitive action divided into 19 stages, will take competitors north of the Swansea-based service park, and features several notable changes compared with recent years. These range from a re-mix of familiar forest territory in Resolfen and classics such as Crychan run in the opposite direction, as well as a return to Builth Wells for the first time in eight years. Indeed, the format of this season's edition and its early-December slot inevitably conjure up images of RAC Rallies of the past and the lingering use of the event's former name will rarely have been more justified. For there is every chance that the fast, flowing forest tracks of the region will be as muddy as ever, and the possibility of frost and snow cannot be ruled out. Nor can fog, which has a tendency to move in over the Black Mountains and which would confirm the event's reputation as one of world class rallying's most awesome challenges. Team Citroën Total goes to Wales with an 11-point lead in the championship, a seemingly handsome cushion, yet a slender advantage, too, given the treacherous nature of the local stages. Ever since the creation of the Manufacturers' World Championship, the British round has frequently been the scene of dramatic turnarounds: should Citroën's sole rivals in the title chase finish first and second, the French team will need to harvest at least seven points if it wants to add its name to the WRC's roll-call of champions for the fourth time, and also make it a championship one-two following the Drivers' crown secured by Daniel Elena and Sébastien Loeb in Japan. Nobody will want to round off the season 2008 in style more than Loeb himself, especially after the busy month the Frenchman has just had trying his hand at new experiences: "I've hardly had time to catch my breath since Japan," he muses. "The Wales Rally GB is an event I enjoy. The atmosphere is always very special, especially on the stages run in semi-darkness. The terrain is also highly specific, and never easy. The muddy conditions can produce differing levels of grip from one corner to the next, while other portions can be impressively fast and technically challenging, especially given how little grip there is… when there is grip!" "It's a rally I've never won – for a variety of reasons – and I would dearly like to win it one day," confesses Sébastien. "That probably won't be our priority this time round, however. Winning the Manufacturers' title is important for Citroën and we will do all we can to make that happen. That will mean defending our current 11-point lead, steering clear of all the pitfalls and finishing as close to our rivals as we can." For their third attempt at this rally together, Dani Sordo and Marc Martí know that the entire team will be counting on them once again. "We will be trying harder than ever to score a top result in Wales," says Dani. "I haven't got all that much experience of this event, but that doesn't stop me from being something of a fan. It's such a varied rally and the stages aren't too tough on the cars." "What I dislike the most is the fog," adds the Spaniard. "At night, when the only thing you can see in front of you is a white wall, it really isn't easy. It takes a big effort to push yourself to go faster. On top of that, if you add rain or even snow into the equation, then it's nothing short of a nightmare… but that's what makes it such a legendary event! Winning the Manufacturers' title in Wales would be the best reward I can think of." Event notes: 2008 WALES RALLY GB th • 76 Wales Rally GB (December 4-7), round 15 of 15. • Surface: gravel. • Base: Swansea and Cardiff. • Practical information: The service park is in Swansea. The press office, Rally HQ and super-special are all based in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium. The time difference between Wales and continental Europe is one hour. When it is 11am in Paris, it is 10am in Cardiff. The local currency is the Pound (GBP1 = EUR1.20). • Technical matters: In accordance with the regulations, the engine of Sébastien and Daniel's C4 has already contested the New Zealand and Japan Rallies. The engine of Dani and Marc was changed after Rally Japan without the crew incurring penalties. Two gearbox/differential packages are authorised per driver. Five sets of dampers and five hub carriers are authorised per event. • Tyres: only one type of tyre is available: the Pirelli Scorpion WRC 205/65-15 DS Soft Gravel. It is possible to carry two spares, but the 're-cutting' of tread patterns is not permitted. 42 tyres may be used during the event (including shakedown). • Recce: Tuesday December 2 and Wednesday December 3 (08.00 until 16.00). Two runs authorised per stage at a maximum speed of 80kph. • Shakedown: Thursday December 4 (08.00 until 12.00). The 3.90km stage in Penllergaer Forest (18km north of the service park) is the same venue that has been used for the shakedown since 2006. • Press conference: Thursday December 4 (from 13.30, Rally HQ, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. • Start ceremony: Thursday December 4 (from 18.00), Cardiff. • Route: the total distance is 1,428.44km, including 348.99km divided into 19 stages (10 different). • Day 1 (Friday December 5): 561.54km, including 123.68km divided into 8 stages (4 different). Starts from the service park (06.00). SS1 (Hafren 1, 19.10km), SS2 (Sweet Lamb 1, 5.11km) and SS3 (Myherin 1, 35.34km). Regroup (11.33, 15 minutes). Remote Service A, Builth Wells (11.48, 15 minutes). SS4 (Hafren 2), SS5 (Sweet Lamb 2), SS6 (Myherin 2), SS7 (Walter Arena 1, 2.29km) and SS8 (Walter Arena 2). Service B (18.02, 45 minutes). Last car due into parc ferme at 21.40. • Day 2 (Saturday December 6): 547.26km, including 129.21km divided into 7 stages (4 different). Starts from parc ferme (07.15). Service C (07.25, 15 minutes). SS9 (Resolfen 1, 30.68km), SS10 (Halfway 1, 18.57km) and SS11 (Crychan 1, 14.86km). Regroup (11.58, 15 minutes). Service D (12.13, 30 minutes). SS12 (Resolfen 2), SS13 (Halfway 2) and SS14 (Crychan 2). Regroup, Cardiff (17.36, 33 minutes). SS15 (Cardiff Super-Special, 0.99km). Service E (19.23, 45 minutes). Last car due into parc ferme at 23.10. • Day 3 (Sunday December 7): 319.64km, including 96.10km divided into 4 stages (2 different). Starts from parc ferme (06.50). Service F (07.00, 15 minutes). SS16 (Rheola 1, 27.96km) and SS17 (Port Talbot 1, 20.09km). Regroup (09.45, 15 minutes). Service G (10.00, 30 minutes). SS18 (Rheola 2) and SS19 (Port Talbot 2). Service H (13.03, 10 minutes). Podium ceremony (from 14.56. • Podium ceremony: Sunday December 7 (from 14.50), Cardiff. • Post-rally press conference: Sunday December 7 (from 15.30), Rally HQ, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. • New: Quite a lot about this year's event is new. Compared with 2007, all Friday's stages are new and the day will include a remote service park in Builth Wells. Walters Arena (SS7/8) has been modified, as has the latter part of Resolfen (SS9/12). Halfway (SS10/13), Crychan (SS11/14) and Port Talbot (SS17/19) are included, but run in the opposite direction. Even the Cardiff super-special has been modified since last year! Only Rheola (SS16/18) is identical to 2007. • The crews statistics (before this rally) : Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena : WRC debut: Catalonia, 1999 (Saxo Kit-Car, retired). WRC starts: 112. First WRC win: Germany, 2002 (Xsara). WRC wins: 46. WRC world titles: 5 (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). Dani Sordo : WRC debut: Catalonia, 2003 (18 th ). WRC starts: 58. Junior title: 2005 (C2 S1600). Marc Martí : WRC debut: Catalonia, 1992 (21 st ). WRC starts: 124. Junior title: 2005 (C2 S1600). • The crews' Wales Rally GB records: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena : eighth participation: 2007 (C4, 3 rd ), 2006 (Absent), 2005 (Xsara, 3 rd ), 2004 (Xsara, 2 nd ), 2003 (Xsara, 2nd ), 2002 (Xsara, retired), 2001 (Saxo Kit-Car, 15 th and 1 st J-WRC) and 1999 (Saxo Challenge, 38 th ). th th Dani Sordo : third participation: 2007 (with Marc Martí/C4, 5 ), and 2006 (with Marc Martí/Xsara, 7 ).
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