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BP-Ford Finds Consistency amid New Zealand's Gravel

Staff, Monday April 4, 2005.

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Rally New Zealand (7 - 10 April) offers BP-Ford World Rally Team's drivers a taste of consistency for the first time this season after a highly varied start to the campaign. It is the second consecutive gravel round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the surface on which the bulk of the 16-event series is fought out and which takes competitors right through to late August before briefly switching to asphalt.

Vastly different conditions on the opening three rounds have provided a tough start to the 2005 season. Drivers Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen and teammates Roman Kresta and Jan Mo?ný have faced asphalt, snow, ice and rock-hard gravel to date. But the all-round versatility of the Ford Focus RS World Rally Car has enabled the BP-Ford squad to claim a strong second in the manufacturers' championship while Gardemeister holds third in the drivers' standings.

The journey to New Zealand's North Island is the longest of the season for BP-Ford but the rally more than makes up for the seemingly endless hours spent in the air en route. The roads near the rally base of Auckland are widely regarded as the best in the championship. As smooth as a billiard table and gently winding through the lush, green countryside, they pose fewer mechanical demands than most gravel rallies and invite drivers to attack them.

Thirty-year-old Gardemeister has plenty of experience there and this will be his seventh start. He finished third in 1999 on his debut in a World Rally Car, a career-best result until claiming second in Monte Carlo in January on his maiden outing in his Castrol-branded Focus RS.

"The roads are fast and flowing and frequently the camber changes in corners which allows a driver to drift the car through bends more than on other rallies," said the Finn. "They can also be quite slippery if wet. This time of year is early autumn in New Zealand so the weather could be mixed, either dry and warm or showery.

"The last round in Mexico was my first on gravel in the Focus. The result wasn't as strong as I had hoped but the car felt good to drive and I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to driving it in New Zealand, which is a rally I really enjoy. It's quite like my home event in Finland, without the big jumps," he added.

Third place in the championship means Gardemeister will be third to start the opening leg. "When it's dry the roads have a lot of slippery loose gravel on the surface so it's better to start further back in the order, by which time the gravel has been swept away," he said. "Third isn't ideal but it's much better than first. The problem isn't so great in New Zealand as elsewhere. The rally is so fast and there aren't many tight corners, which is where a driver loses traction and grip on the loose stones."

Gardemeister has recovered from the heavy 'flu which affected him throughout Rally Mexico. "I've had a good couple of weeks in Finland since returning from Mexico. I've been running and walking to maintain my fitness and I feel much better now," he added.

In contrast to his teammate's experience, Kresta has never competed in New Zealand before. However, lack of experience does not seem a handicap to the Czech driver, who ran as high as sixth overall in Mexico earlier this month before retiring his BP Ultimate-branded Focus RS.

"Every rally this season has been one of learning for me," said 28-year-old Kresta. "But despite this I scored driver points in both Monte Carlo and Sweden and was lying in the points in Mexico before retiring. I'm aiming for another points finish in New Zealand, but the most important aspect for me is to learn as much as I can about the event.

"I think the special stages will be fast and enjoyable to drive. I have been nominated here by Ford so it's important for me to aim for a good result to score manufacturer points. But I don't want to take any risks, especially early in the event, because it's also necessary for me to finish the rally to understand the nature of the roads and gain as much experience as I can," added Kresta.

Team News ? Ford WRC stars visit Melbourne
Gardemeister celebrated his 30th birthday on a stopover in Australia on Thursday 31 March. In Melbourne along with Jakke Honkanen, Gardemeister spent time with Ford Performance Racing stars Jason Bright and Greg Ritter at the team?s Race Centre.

Gardemeister even took the seat of one of the Ford V8 Supercars, albeit as it sat on the workshop floor. The V8 Supercar Series visits NZ the weekend after the WRC.

?It was excellent to call into Melbourne on the way through and meet one of the other leading Ford Racing teams,? said Gardemeister.

?The cars and the entire team was very impressive and I?d like to have the opportunity to watch them race. Likewise I?d be more than happy to have Jason or Greg sit beside me in the Focus WRC car at some stage.

?Our schedules are so tight, that getting together is sometimes very difficult, but I certainly follow the Ford teams when I can.

To round-out their Australian visit, Gardemeister and Honkanen were part of the 56,000 strong crowd at the MCG for the clash between Carlton and Essendon.

?I wish I could tell you what was going, but I know that Carlton won by four points,? said Honkanen.

?Australians certainly love their sport, they show a lot of passion. I also understand they support their racing very closely and that is something we always look forward to seeing when we compete in Australia.

?I hope that we can continue to compete in Australia after this year when Rally Australia finishes in Perth.?

Rally Route
The event follows broadly the same format as last year. After a ceremonial start on Thursday evening close to yachting's Americas Cup village in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour, the opening two days' are based close to the Paparoa service park in the Northland region, almost 150km north. The second leg ends with two runs at the spectacular floodlit super special stage at Manukau, on the edge of Auckland. The final leg comprises the superb west coast tests near Raglan, 160km south of the city. It includes two passes over the classic Whaanga Coast test, which hugs the Tasman Sea coastline and is rated by many as the best stage in the entire championship. All stages are identical to 2004, with the exception of one new test on each of the opening two legs. There are 20 stages in all and drivers face 356km of competition in a route of 1128.48km.

FIA World Rally Championship (after round 3 of 16)
Drivers
1. P Solberg 20pts
2. M Märtin 19pts
3. T Gardemeister 17pts
4. S Loeb 15pts
5. M Grönholm 12pts
6. H Rovanperä 11pts

Manufacturers
1. Peugeot 31pts
2. Ford 23pts
3. Mitsubishi 23pts
4. Subaru 20pts
5. Citroen 16pts
6. Skoda 4pts

For further information contact:
Mark Wilford
Media Coordinator
Ford Rallye Sport
Phone: + 64 9 336 0680
Mobile: +44 7770 756214
Email: mwilford@ford.com

Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing Australia
Phone: 03 9359 8190
Mobile: 0417 262 753
Email: benb@global-marketing.com

Further information and high-resolution images relating to Ford Racing Australia can also be found at : media.ford.com

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