Chris Atkinson loses his co-driver

Glenn Macneall, Chris Atkinson’s co-driver in the World Rally Championship, has stepped down from the Subaru World Rally Team for personal reasons.

Glenn said: “Competing in the World Rally Championship is far more than just a job, and while I really have enjoyed my time with the team I’ve simply come to the point now where I want to do other things. Having made up my mind to go, it wouldn’t be fair on Chris for me to carry on with anything less than 100 per cent commitment, and for this reason I felt it would be best to step down straight away. I’ll continue to follow the sport very closely and I wish Chris, Petter and the whole Subaru team the best of luck in the future.”

Glenn Macneall joined the Subaru World Rally Team in 2001 and has been Chris’ co-driver on all of his 36 WRC starts. There will be an announcement shortly regarding Chris Atkinson’s new co-pilot.

Chris had to retire from Rally de Portugal last week because he missed a pace-note and went off-road. I wonder if it could have been the last straw for Glenn Macneall.

Source: SWRT

Fourth place for Solberg

Petter Solberg set a good pace and managed to finish 4th overall, bringing home enough manufacturer points to place the Subaru World Rally Team in third place in the championship for manufacturers.

Petter Solberg: “Overall we can take a lot of positive things from our performance this weekend. On many stages were able to challenge the pace of the leaders, and although we were unable to pressure them this afternoon - we think because of an electrical problem with the turbo’s anti-lag system - we’re continuing to improve the performance of this new car. We have a test planned soon, and I’m feeling confident that with some more stage mileage we will unlock more of the potential in time for the next event.”

Petter Solberg during SS11. Picture from SWRT

Chris Atkinson retired

Sadly, Chris Atkinson had to retire during Leg 2 when he missed a pace-note and drove off the road at high speed. He and his co-pilot, Glean Macneall, were uninjured but the car took a beating and they were unable to continue the rally.

Chris Atkinson: “It hasn’t been the best weekend, that’s for sure. It’s a great shame because I thought this rally would suit my driving style and the car. This morning I struggled with the handling a bit, we had some balance and understeer problems and I was struggling to get the car turned in properly – especially on such slippery roads. We started the stage (SS10) pretty well but in hindsight I was thinking too much about the feeling, and not concentrating on the road. I missed a corner note, got on the wrong line and just went straight off. Clearly the team and I have some work to do before we find a good, balanced set-up for wet and dry conditions. And while we experimented a bit here, it’s not an ideal environment in which to test. We have a proper test planned shortly which should give me the opportunity to work on the set-up specifically. Petter and I have shown that the outright speed is there, but this is only the second rally for the new car and clearly there’s a lot to learn.”

The next event takes place in Argentina from May 4th through May 6th. That gives the Subaru World Rally Team one month to tweak the car to their liking and run some extensive tests on it. Let’s hope for a podium finish next time!

Source: SWRT

Rally Mexico started great for Petter Solberg, who set the leading pace during most of Leg 1. Sadly, during special stage 5, he had to retire. The oil light started to blink in his car and by the end of the stage, the car had run out of oil. It appears a bit of damage was done to the oil cooler and the car was leaking. Still, Petter enjoyed the feel of the car and he found the pace very encouraging:

Petter said:

Overall, it’s important to note that we had the winning pace, even on the repeated stages, and things like tyre wear and general feeling were very, very good. We were leading the rally here, and I’m sure it won’t be long before we’re doing that again.

Chris Atkinson during SS18. Picture from SWRT.

Chris Atkinson, on the other hand, finished the rally 5th overall. He says he’s enjoyed the feeling of the car immensely and that the pace they set during the rally was encouraging for the whole team.

Chris said:

It’s already got better traction, more stability and a more consistent feel than last year’s car. Now it’s a case of fine tuning it for me and Petter after we’ve had a chance to analyze what we’ve learned in Mexico. But I’d say things are looking positive for Portugal.

Although the team didn’t get the podium finish that we were hoping for, the new Subaru WRC07 showed great promise during the rally. The team seems very confident about the leading pace they set during Rally Mexico, and they are eager to bring out the potential of the Subaru WRC 2007 in Rally de Portugal starting on March 29th.

Source: SWRT

The Subaru World Rally Team has unveiled the Subaru Impreza WRC 2007 last Friday. The new car will make its debut at Mexico Rally this weekend. Both Subaru drivers Petter Solberg and Chris Atkinson will be driving the new car in Mexico. The team believes the Subaru Impreza WRC 2007 will be a great asset for the rest of the rally championship.

Picture from SWRT

As expected, the overall body work is pretty much the same as the WRC06 car. The big changes are under the hood.

What’s new under the hood

• Better weight distribution
• Better suspension geometry
• Tweaked differential set-ups
• New dampers
• New radiator and intercooler pack
• Lighter engine

What’s new externally

• Restyled front bumper (to suit new intercooler)
• Twin side exits bonnet vents

What are the benefits

• More responsive front end
• Better traction
• Balanced tyre wear
• Improved road-holding
• Improved air-flow
• Front-end of car easier to service
• Lighter car

The Subaru Impreza WRC 2007 has been developed in collaboration with Fuji Heavy and Subaru Tecnica International in Japan, and the Subaru World Rally Team in England. The teams in Japan were responsible for the car’s aerodynamics and power unit.

Picture from SWRT

Shigeo Sugaya, manufacturer principal, engineering, for the Subaru World Rally Team, said:

“The WRC2007 does not represent a radical change for the team, instead we have made small evolutions in several areas.”

The Subaru WRC 2007 is expected to perform well this season. Let’s wish the Subaru World Rally Team better luck this year with the new car!

Source: SWRT

The Discovery Channel is making a documentary series around the 2006 WRC season entitled “Engineering the World Rally”.

“‘Engineering the World Rally’ joins the Subaru WRT as they and their driver, Petter Solberg, fight for the championship. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access for an entire season, this six-part series provides a unique insight into the deeply secretive world of big budget motorsport, getting under the skin of the British-run Subaru World Rally Team and following their every move as they prepare the cars for each event, test and shakedown.

What unfolds is a rollercoaster of action both behind-the-scenes and on the rally stage as they endure the worst year they’ve ever had. Driver issues, endless car trouble and pure bad luck sees them constantly fighting to keep pace with their rivals.”

It will be a very interesting documentary for any World Rally Championship fans. The first episode will air on Discovery Channel on Monday, March 12.

Source: crash.net

Petter Solberg finished in 4th place, 16.5 seconds shy of a podium, scoring 5 points for Subaru. Chris Atkinson on the other hand made a mistake on Leg 2: about 18km into SS9, he spun off into a snow bank and got stuck at the edge of the road. This cost him about 16 minutes, dropping him out of the top ten. He finished the rally 19th.

This was the last rally for the Subaru WRC06: the next event is Mexico, and the Subaru World Rally Team will get to drive the Subaru WRC 2007 car for the first time. Both pilots are eager to compete in the new car, as the both feel they will be much more competitive driving the new WRC07.

Petter Solberg:

“It was a shame that Henning got past me, but I’m still happy with this result in the circumstances. We couldn’t have gone any quicker. We have been very realistic about what we can achieve on this rally and we have followed our strategy accordingly. The main thing was for us to finish in the points and not make any mistakes. This was the final rally with the WRC2006 and the points we’ve got here are very important for the season. It has been an incredible experience to drive these stages in front of so many spectators and see so many Norwegian flags.”

Chris Atkinson:

“It’s been a tough rally for us, although there’s no doubt that without the mistake on Saturday morning we would have been in the points. I have struggled a bit with my confidence this weekend compared to Sweden. I haven’t been able to have the same feeling with the car. Now this rally is over we can start to look forward to Mexico and the first rally with the new WRC2007. We can make some steps forward now.”

Source: SWRT

Sweden’s sister rally, Rally Norway, has begun today. Being only 200km away from Sweden, it’s the first time the World Rally Championship holds an event in Norway, which is also Petter Solberg’s birthplace. It’s an important rally for the Subaru World Rally team, because it will be their last time driving the Subaru WRC06. Next month in Mexico, they will unveil the new Subaru WRC07, which should help the team greatly for the upcoming rallies. As for Rally Norway, you can expect more snow, ice and cold temperatures. Whereas Sweden was all about speed, the route in Norway is significantly tighter and more twisting.

Petter Solberg in action at shakedown (credit: SWRT)

Petter Solberg:

“It’s going to be a very special event for me. Already things are building up ahead of the rally, there have been lots of press interviews in the last two days and people I know are arriving here for the event. I won’t really have a home advantage because I have never seen these stages before. It is completely new for me, as it is for all the other drivers. It felt positive to lead in Sweden and Chris showed in Sweden that when the stages are covered in lots of snow and ice we can set fastest stage times. So we need those conditions and have to hope there is not too much gravel showing through when we use the stages for the second time. It’s going to be incredible to see all the fans supporting me and the team. It’s difficult to say much about how I will feel about it until I get out on the stages, but I’m looking forward to it so much.”

Chris Atkinson:

“I have some idea what to expect because we did the recce for Rally Norway last year, although many of the stages we drove have been reversed this time. I think it is going to be a pretty exciting rally, because the stages were great last year, although a lot more technical than those in Sweden. There was a lot of snow and ice and some of the snow banks lining the stages were as much as two metres high, so it was like driving through a tunnel. We were quite happy with our pace in Sweden against some drivers who have a lot more experience of that event. In Norway everyone should be on the same level in terms of knowledge of the stages. Our approach to this rally will be the same as in Sweden: we’ll start steadily and gradually build our pace. Hopefully we’ll get the fifth or sixth place we should have had there.”

Source: SWRT

The Swedish Rally didn’t go so well for the Subaru World Rally Team. After Leg 1, Petter Solberg had established his place in the top 3 while Chris Atkinson was just outside the top 8. During Leg 2 however, Petter’s car got stuck in a snowy ditch. With the help of a group of 20 spectators, he managed to push the Impreza back on the road, undamaged, but he lost about 14 minutes. The Subaru team decided to retire Solberg to preserve the car’s engine and transmission for Rally Norway next week.

Petter Solberg on Leg 2. Image and driver’s quotes from SWRT.

During Leg 3, Chris Atkinson set the fastest time on Special Stage 16, moving to 5th position overall. Sadly, he damaged the rear left corner of his Subaru WRC two stages later on SS18. Because of the damage to his car, he took a drop from 5th position to 8th overall.

Chris Atkinson:

“The mistake on SS18 was disappointing, especially for the team, because we were on course to bring home three more championship points. But we’ve been encouraged by our pace here this weekend, we chose the right strategy of making a cautious start and what happened was just one those unfortunate things. Now it is important for us to look ahead to Rally Norway and try to get the best result we can there.”

Petter Solberg:

“I’m very disappointed about what has happened, and I’m really sorry to the supporters who were out on the stages for us. It was good to be fighting back near the top and I’d have liked to have carried that fight on tomorrow, but unfortunately losing 14 minutes meant there was no chance. So, we have to look forward, and that means preparing for Norway. It’s my home rally and I’m going to try my best to get a much better result.”

While trying to find out more information about the new Subaru WRC 2007 car, which will be driven by the Subaru World Rally Team for the first time at Rally Mexico in March, I stumbled upon pictures of the Subaru team testing out a new Subaru Impreza WRC car.

(C) PHOTO4. More pictures are available from motorline.cc.

Could this be the new Subaru WRC 2007? According to these pictures, the new Subaru WRC07 car is not a hatchback. The car being tested is a sedan, just like the actual 2007 Subaru WRX production car. Oh well, here I was, hoping we’d have a glimpse at an actual hatchback Impreza before April.

Straightline posted pictures of the next-generation 2008 Impreza. In the article, they also mention that:

The 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI will be a hatchback, just like the 2007 Subaru WRC rally car.

Does this mean the 2007 Subaru Impreza WRC rally car will also be a hatchback? The Subaru World Rally team is supposed to be driving the new 2007 WRC car in Mexico this March. If this is true (I doubt it), we’ll probably have a glimpse of the new 2008 WRX there.