Ford team hoping for dry stages in Germany

“We’d be in a better position”

By Franck Drui

18 August 2011 - 16:51
Ford team hoping for dry stages in (...)

Ford team boss Malcolm Wilson is hoping for dry conditions when the opening stage of ADAC Rallye Deutschland gets underway on Friday morning.

Weather forecasts have suggested a 20 per cent likelihood of rain for tomorrow’s first loop of stages in the vineyards of the Mosel region.

Wilson, whose factory drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala are attempting to end Sebastien Loeb’s eight-event unbeaten run in Germany, said his preference would be for dry roads on the World Rally Championship qualifier.

“If it’s consistent and very dry our guys would feel a lot more confident because there’s no question when you do get those tricky conditions that’s when Sebastien is exceptional, so for sure we’d be in a better position if it stayed consistently dry the whole rally,” said Wilson.

Hirvonen, currently second to Loeb in the WRC drivers’ standings, tested for the event in dry conditions and admitted he might struggle in the event of rain.

“I did nearly 500 kilometres in testing but it was dry all the time,” said Hirvonen. “I do like Tarmac but it’s always the changeable conditions where I struggle a little bit - it’s nice to have clean lines all the time. But if we’re going to win we have to be able to drive in all the conditions.”

Despite a lack of rain during his pre-event test, Hirvonen can count on some knowledge of driving his Fiesta RS WRC in the wet.

“My Tarmac test in France was one day full wet so I have an idea and Jari-Matti’s test for Germany was rain on his first day,” said Hirvonen. “The most difficult thing is always to get the weather forecast right so you know what’s coming.”

Latvala is also hoping for a dry rally. He said: “The grip can change a lot here when it rains. If it’s damp then it’s okay because we have the soft [compound Michelin] tyre. Where it is a problem is if it rains because the regulations don’t allow for a rain tyre.”

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