|
Leg One
Entries
For the opening leg of Rallye Monte Carlo, 47 crews left the service park in Valence, France.
Route
Leg one comprised just two stages to the east of Valence, both run in darkness on Thursday evening.
Weather
Damp after scattered rain showers during the day. The temperature was between 7 and 11 degrees Celsius.
Retirements
No major retirements.
Summary
The Subaru World Rally Team achieved its aim of getting both Impreza WRCs into the top six at the end of the opening leg of Rallye Monte Carlo and the first day of the 2007 season. Mindful of the need to start the season with solid points finishes, both drivers ensured they had error-free runs. Petter was fourth fastest through stage one, and Chris emulated that feat on stage two. That meant Petter Solberg held fifth overall, just ahead of Chris, and neither driver had any problems to report after the two stages.
Leg Two
Entries
46 crews left the service park at Valence, France, for the second leg of Rallye Monte Carlo.
Route
Leg two of Rallye Monte Carlo was based to the south west of the service area at Valence. The day began with a mammoth 46km stage, one of the longest used in the WRC. There were two identical loops of three stages, with a total competitive mileage of 150.62km. The leg was notable for the use of Remote Service Zones, which mean the cars do not have to return to the main service area as often. Remote Service Zones will be used more frequently on events during the 2007 season.
Weather
It was a bright, fresh day and the stages were mainly dry, although some of the morning?s roads featured damp patches, particularly the 46km St Pierreville ? Antraigues test. Ambient temperatures ranged from 9 degrees Celsius in the morning to a high of 13 during the middle of the day.
Retirements
Xavi Pons (SS3)
Summary
After the first full day of competition, the Subaru World Rally Team is still on track to achieve its aim of two points finishes on Rallye Monte Carlo. Chris Atkinson and Glenn Macneall made a storming start to the day and vaulted from an overnight sixth place to fourth. The duo maintained that position throughout the rest of the day. Despite losing some time on the opening stage of the leg, Petter Solberg and Phil Mills had a positive run and were back up to seventh by the time the cars returned to Valence at the end of the day.
Leg Three
Starters
44 of the original 47 crews left the service park at Valence, France, for leg three of Rallye Monte Carlo.
Route
Most of leg three?s stages took place to the north-west of the main service area at Valence, although the Superspecial in Monte Carlo tomorrow morning is also included as part of this leg of the rally. Today there were six stages in the mountains (two loops of three tests). The total competitive mileage including the Monaco Superspecial is 131.52km.
Weather
Another dry, clear and sunny day, although there were damp patches on the morning stages. Temperatures ranged from nine degrees Celsius to a high of 13 in the middle of the day, before falling to eight degrees by the time the crews returned to the central service area in Valence in the evening.
Summary
The Subaru World Rally Team still has two cars firmly in the points with just one stage remaining in this year?s Rallye Monte Carlo. Chris Atkinson was one of the stars of the rally and set two fastest stage times as he fought over fourth position with Mikko Hirvonen. Chris lost the position by a slender margin on the last stage of the day, but remains confident that he will have a chance of clawing it back on the Monaco superspecial tomorrow morning. Petter Solberg successfully moved one place up the order from seventh to sixth and was satisfied with the stage times he set during the leg.
Leg Three Section Two
Starters
44 of the original 47 crews travelled to Monaco for the final day of the rally.
Route
Today?s second section of leg three comprised just one stage: a 2.8km superspecial on a course laid out around part of the circuit used for the Monaco Grand Prix. The cars ran two at a time, in a pursuit format, with the duellists starting from opposite ends of the stage.
Weather
Dry and clear
Retirements
No major retirements
Summary
In front of tens of thousands of fans and a live television audience, Chris Atkinson was the star of the Monaco Superspecial, setting the fastest time around the stage and also snatching fourth place in the overall standings by just two-tenths of a second. Chris had been demoted to fifth place in the classification by Mikko Hirvonen on the final stage on Saturday, but fought back to set the best time of 1m 49.9s and moved one place back up the order. It was his best result on an asphalt rally and the best performance on Rallye Monte Carlo by the Subaru World Rally Team since 2002. Petter Solberg, who was rallying on the doorstep of his Monaco apartment, put on a flamboyant show for the crowd. He was already secure in sixth position in the rally, matching his personal best result on Rallye Monte Carlo.
|