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Old 5 May 2004, 19:11 (Ref:961827)   #1
touringlegend
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touringlegend should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridtouringlegend should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridtouringlegend should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
WRC Cyprus

Peugeot Sports release:

Quote:
CYPRUS RALLY

(May 13th-16th 2004)


PEUGEOT READY FOR THE CYPRIOT HELTER-SKELTER




The fifth showdown of the 2004 season takes teams to the twisty gravel mountain stages of Cyprus which recently celebrated its entry into the European Union. Marcus Grnholm has already won this event once with the Peugeot 206 WRC in 2002 and he will be aiming to repeat that success this time round with the new 307 WRC. Harri Rovanper, whose programme includes all this year's loose surface rounds, is also in a confident mood as he heads for the Mediterranean island following his strong showing in April's Rally New Zealand.



Since its maiden run on last January's Monte Carlo Rally, the new Peugeot 307 WRC has shown its potential in terms of outright performance and has progressed with every outing on both the reliability and consistency fronts. This progress is the reward for the hard work put in by the entire team and was highlighted in New Zealand where Marcus Grnholm finished 2nd after challenging for victory up to the very last stage. The Finn, whose 2004 record includes another 2nd place finish in Sweden, as well as points finishes in Monte Carlo and Mexico, is currently third in the provisional Drivers' standings, just two points behind the leader. Peugeot is also third in the Manufacturers' classification, although the points margin compared with the leader is bigger. It is interesting to note that Marcus Grnholm is the driver who has recorded the highest number of fastest stage times since the beginning of the season.



As the championship turns to its attention to the three roughest rounds of the calendar (Cyprus, Greece and Turkey) which will follow on from each other in May and June, the world title challengers will be placing the focus very much on reliability. Indeed, the first of these three encounters, Rally Cyprus, is also one of the toughest on mechanicals. For not only are its punishing and exceptionally slow stages (the winner of last year's event completed the distance at an average speed of just 66 kph!) particularly demanding but the high temperatures teams can expect at this time of year are also sure to test drivers and machines to the limit.



Marcus Grnholm has met with mixed fortunes in Cyprus over the years, securing a fine win in 2002 but retiring in 2000, 2001 and 2003. "To be quite frank, Rally Cyprus is not one of my favourite events. I find faster events more fun. Here you get the impression that it's just one slow corner after another, and the heat is suffocating. Even so, I will be looking for a top result. The whole team has worked extremely hard over the past weeks and we have made significant progress with the car. I think the 307 WRC is an all-round car that is capable of being quick on every type of surface, fast or slow."



Since his dbut with Peugeot in 2001, Harri Rovanper boasts two points finishes (4th in 2002, 2nd in 2003) and one retirement (2001) in Cyprus. Certain of starting all the gravel rounds of the 2004 championship with Peugeot since Rally New Zealand, the Finn is delighted to be back in Cyprus: "I am very happy to see my programme confirmed for the rest of the season. It seems like everything is going well at the moment. At the end of April, we tested at Chteau de Lastours in the south of France and that was very positive. The team has put in a great deal of work and we should be in a position to fight at the sharp end in Cyprus."





CYPRUS RALLY BRIEF





32th Cyprus Rally

5th Round of FIA World Championship 2004

Scrutineering : Thursday 13 May 2004 Government Test Center - Polemidhia

Shakedown : Thursday 13 May 2004 12.00 - 14.00 - Stavrovounis

Ceremonial start : Thursday 13 May 2004 20.30 Limassol Promenade



LEG 1 : Limassol / Limassol
Friday 14 May 2004 : 07.00 18.27

406 km

6 Special Stages (121,8 km)

SS1 Lagoudera / Spilia 1 (38.3 km) : 08.23

SS2 Kourdali / Asinou 1 (15 km) : 09.46
SS3 Asinou / Agios Theodoros 1 (7.6 km) : 10.14

SS4 Lagoudera / Spilia 2 (38.3 km) : 14.38

SS5 Kourdali / Asinou 2 (15 km) : 16.01
SS6 Asinou / Agios Theodoros 2 (7.6 km) : 16.29

Flexi Service (A) Limassol : 12.12 (20)

Regrouping Limassol : 12.32 (43)

Flexi Service (B) Limassol : 18.27 (45)



LEG 2 : Limassol / Limassol
Saturday 15 May 2004 : 07.45 18.12

413 km

6 Special Stages (109.6 km)

SS7 Platres / Saittas 1 (11.1 km) : 08.58

SS8 Foini / Koilinia 1 (30.3 km) : 09.36

SS9 Galatareia / Pentalia 1 (13.3 km) : 10.34

SS10 Platres / Saittas 2 (11.1 km) : 15.03

SS11 Foini / Koilinia 2 (30.3 km) : 15.41

SS12 Galatareia / Pentalia 2 (13.3 km) : 16.39

Flexi Service (C) Limassol : 07.45 (10)

Flexi Service (D) Limassol : 13.07 (20)

Regrouping Limassol : 13.27 (48)

Flexi Service (E) Limassol New Port : 18.12 (45)



LEG 3 : Limassol / Limassol
Sunday 16 May 2004 : 05.15 14.15

327 km

6 Special Stages (95.3 km)

SS13 Vavatsinia / Mandra Kambiou 1 (25.2 km) : 06.43

SS14 Macheras / Agioi Vavatsinia 1 (12.9 km) : 07.31

SS15 Kellaki / Foinikaria 1 (9.5 km) : 08.14

SS16 Vavatsinia / Mandra Kambiou 2 (25.2 km) : 11.18

SS17 Macheras / Agioi Vavatsinia 2 (12.9 km) : 12.06

SS18 Kellaki / Foinikaria 2 (9.5 km) : 12.49

Flexi Service (F) Limassol : 05.15 (10)

Regrouping Limassol : 05.25 (15)

Flexi Service (G) Limassol : 09.07 (20)

Regrouping Limassol : 09.27 (48)

Service Park (H) Limassol : 13.42 (20)



Total Distance : 1.146 km 18 Special Stages (326.7 km)



Nominated Entries





N 1 Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC

N 2 Mikko Hirvonen Subaru Impreza WRC

N 3 Sbastien Loeb Citron Xsara WRC

N 4 Carlos Sainz Citron Xsara WRC

N 5 Marcus Grnholm Peugeot 307 WRC

N 6 Harri Rovanper Peugeot 307 WRC

N 7 Markko Mrtin Ford Focus WRC

N 8 Franois Duval Ford Focus WRC

N 9 Gilles Panizzi Mitsubishi Lancer WRC

N 10 Kristian Sohlberg Mitsubishi Lancer WRC





No nominated .





N 11 Janne Tuohino Ford Focus WRC

N 12 Henning Solberg Peugeot 206 WRC

N 14 Jari Viita Ford Focus WRC

N 15 Alister Ginley Subaru Impreza WRC

N 16 Miguel Campos Peugeot 206 WRC

N 17 Anthony Warmbold Ford Focus WRC

N 18 Ioannis Papadimitriou Ford Focus WRC

N 31 Luis Perez Companc Peugeot 206 WRC



Peugeot Lines during Cyprus Rally
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Old 5 May 2004, 19:12 (Ref:961828)   #2
touringlegend
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touringlegend should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridtouringlegend should be qualifying in the top 3 on the gridtouringlegend should be qualifying in the top 3 on the grid
Also thought this may be an interesting read to some.
Quote:
Interview: Jean-Pierre Fleur (Pipo Moteurs)



The Lions' Heart




As Peugeot Sport's official engine tuner, Jean-Pierre Fleur otherwise known as 'Pipo' is the man in charge of the 307 WRC's power-plants. We talked with him prior to the demanding challenge of the Cypriot inferno





What are the main features of a World Rally Car engine?

"It's essentially a two-litre, turbocharged engine, although the FIA regulations dictate that the turbo comes with a 34 mm air restrictor. The main difficulty is the fact that we work on what is a production engine, a normally-aspirated unit onto which a turbo has been grafted for competition use. Compared to the standard engine's relatively low torque (20 mkg), we obtain three times that value with the turbocharged rally version. Thankfully, Peugeot's engines are modern in terms of their design and construction. Those that power the 206 WRC and the 307 WRC lend themselves perfectly to this sort of extreme use."



Is the 307 WRC's engine very different to the unit that powered its predecessor?

"They both come from the same familly. The XU7 engine, which replaces the XU9, is practically identical as far as the block is concerned. However, its cylinder head is more modern and this, along with a number of other parts, has enabled us to achieve a significant gain in efficiency."



It is said that the turbo restrictor complicates the quest for extra power

"The restrictor was a deliberate choice by the governing body and it effectively does its job; less air is a natural way to keep power outputs down. As a consquence, we make a special point of making the most of the little scope for work we have by optimising combustion and mechanical efficiency. Since we can't go hunting for extra horsepower, we aim to obtain the highest rev range possible."



Does the existence of an air restrictor not entail a risk of engine development stagnating?

"I don't think so. It's a rule that equals things out for everyone and that limits the areas in which engine tuners can work. But it doesn't prevent them from working. Every tiny improvement counts and development is going on all the time. From the first campaigns with the 206 WRC to the potential of the engine that currently powers the new 307 WRC, we have made significant progress, in all domains, beginning with the engine's integration in the chassis and mechanical accessibility, a primordial consideration in rallying. And our rivals work too, which is why you can never stop. From the engine's weight to its fuel consumptiion and driveability, no parameter is neglected. We explore a number of avenues, some of which turn out to be workable and we have two dynos dedicated exclusively to development"



What has been the most significant evolution in recent years?

"The way the team works together. Work methods have evolved at the same time as the car. A modern World Rally Car has to be considered in its entirety and no longer as a collection of assemblies that are simply bolted together. Optimisation of engine performance is conditioned by all the peripheral elements associated with it, and I am tempted to say that that now extends right down to the tyres which are in contact with the ground. Engineers, engine specialists and electronics experts today function as a group, right from the design stage. The widespread use of electronics and the simulation tools at our disposal add to the necessity for interaction between everybody's respective expertise."



Rally Cyprus is reputed as being particularly tough on engines. Why is this?

"In addition to the heat, the very slow and twisty stages make enormous demands on engines. The lack of fast straights that generate cooling air means they run for long periods at a time at very high temperatures. We therefore aim to optimise cooling, and even to curb power output in case of overheating. In itself, this isn't a major handicap since the engine is rarely used at full song on this type of rally."



THIERRY MOINE: A brief guide to engine assembly



Peugeot Sport engineer Thierry Moine explains how the engines built at Pipo's factory in Valence, in the south of France, find their way into the 307 WRCs in Vlizy. And vice versa



"We look after most of the turbo assembly work in-house in Vlizy: assembly, balancing, rebuilds and management of the turbochargers and post-combustion systems, inspection and management of the intercoolers, water and oil systems. The turbo and its accessories are delivered to Pipo. There, they are fitted to the engine which then goes on the dyno where all the necessary electronic probes are added. This assembly is then shipped back to Vlizy where it is re-inspected from A to Z before being equipped with all the vital peripheral components that serve no purpose on the dyno: heat screens, flywheel, mounts, alternator, hydraulic pumps Complete engines are delivered to either the development or race teams who ultimately fit the blocks into the car. Once all the water and air systems have been plumbed in and the exhaust system and electronic and electrical connectors added, the engine is fired up. If all the departments concerned are ready in time, the total operation takes about half a day. Finally, after every rally, the engines are stripped and cleaned before the whole process begins all over again"



As for the Rally itself, I just don't know who to pick for winner? One of the Fords, or the Peugeot I reckon?
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