The factory Abarth
team will be looking for a swift change in fortunes when the
Intercontinental Rally Challenge heads all the way to Brazil
next month for round two and an entirely different set of
conditions from the ice and asphalt of the season-opening
Monte Carlo Rally.
In Monte Carlo last
month the Italian team suffered a torrid event as the IRC
season got underway, with only Giandomenico Basso of the
three factory cars surviving to finish a distant fifth and
limit somewhat the points deficit to Peugeot. Poor strategy
over the course of the event meant that the Abarth drivers'
lost valuable time due to incorrect tyre choices. Now they
need to turn these misfortunes around and post a good result
in Brazil.
In their endeavours
to bounce back the Abarth will be able to call on knowledge
and vast winning experience of Tedracing, the official Fiat
rally team in South America, that has utterly dominated the
scene in the classes it has entered in Brazil for the past
decade. Last year the team's stalwart driver Luís Tedesco,
at the wheel of an N3 class Fiat Palio Abarth 1.6, claimed
an incredible fifteenth Brazilian Rally Championship title.
After running three of its S2000 cars in Monte Carlo, Abarth
are expected to revert to just two in Brazil, for Basso and
Anton Alén (new signing Luca Rossetti drove the short-lived
third car on the French event).
There may be
support in Brazil for the Abarth factory duo in the shape of
a private Astra Racing entry for Toni Gardemeister, who is
fresh from playing a starring in Monte Carlo. He was running
in second place until alternator problems forced him out on
the final night. Astra Racing team boss Luca Pregliasco said
last week: “We’ve still got some hurdles to overcome, but
we’re racing against time to get Toni out to the next round
in Brazil. He did a great job for us again, as we expected,
in Monte Carlo. He’s simply one of the world’s top drivers.”
Crews contesting
the 29th Rally Internacional de Curitiba next month are
being told to expect plenty of high-speed action. The event
marks Brazil's first appearance on the IRC calendar and will
form the second round of the series from March 5-7. Run as
the Graciosa Rally for the last 29 years, the event has
adopted a new title this season to reflect its rise in
status after it was included on the IRC schedule for 2009.
"The drivers coming to Brazil will experience a very
traditional rally but with different characteristics," said
Marcos Marcola, the promoter of the Curitiba-based rally.
"The stages will be very fast and will demand a lot from the
drivers." Marcola visited the IRC-opening Monte Carlo Rally
last month. He said the trip was extremely worthwhile. "The
organisation was impeccable," Marcola said. "It was a good
experience and I am sure we will have a rally worthy of the
worldwide status the IRC demands. The cars in the IRC are
spectacular and our public will see some very impressive
performances."
The 29th Rally Internacional de Curitiba will include a
ceremonial start in the centre of Curitiba on Thursday March
5 and will consist of a total competitive distance of 234.65
kilometres. The rally will also open up the South America
season, as it is the first event on the Codasur calendar.
All cars participating in the championship are entitled to
take part so the classes will be made up of Super 2000
(IRC), N4 (FIA, Codasur, CBA), N3, N2 and A6. All
classification and awards will be made separately.
