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Philips Rally Argentina
Argentina, which first hosted a round of the World Rally Championship in 1980, is regarded as one of the toughest events on the WRC trail and the revised competitive route for 2012 will make it the longest since the Safari Rally in 2002 at 503 kilometres.
Based in Villa Carlos Paz north of the capital Buenos Aires, the town lies on the banks of the spectacular San Roque Lake in the south of the Punilla Valley close to the city of Cordoba.
The event is popularised by its jumps, water splashes and the lunar landscape of the high altitude El Condor stage, not to mention the tens of thousands of fans who line the route, and who are considered some of the most enthusiastic on the planet.
Although they are flowing in nature, the stages in Argentina are renowned for being slightly slower but more technically demanding than some of the other tests drivers experience in the WRC.
The surface is also quite sandy, which increases the risk of punctures because of a greater likelihood of rocks being pulled into the road by the competing cars. Because the road surface is softer, ruts can form following the first pass.
Argentina’s Southern Hemisphere location means the rally will take place in early autumn, which will increase the challenge facing the crews as they negotiate the testing terrain in colder and wetter conditions. However, the freezing mornings experienced during the event in 2011 are unlikely to be such a factor in 2012 as the event is running one month earlier than last season.
Organisers had considered including stages in neighbouring Chile and Uruguay but while those plans have been dropped for now, the focus is very much on endurance. As well as the demanding competitive route of 503 kilometres over 19 stages, the event will feature the 66-kilometre El Durazno-Ambul stage on the final morning, while Friday’s itinerary includes two runs over the Ascochinga-Agua de Oro test, which has been increased to 52.8 kilometres in length.
Sebastien Loeb says the best way to bounce back from the disappointment of his early exit from Vodafone Rally de Portugal last month will be to make it seven wins out of seven on Philips Rally Argentina.
Loeb is unbeaten in South America since 2005 and is relishing the prospect of taking the start in the Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC he shares with co-driver Daniel Elena. However, he says choosing his road position for day one following the Qualifying Stage on Thursday will be far from straightforward.
“After the disappointment of Portugal, I am determined to get back to winning ways, especially at this rally, with its unrivalled atmosphere,” said the eight-time winner of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia. “Once again, choosing our starting positions for the first leg is going to be a real headache. In Portugal, we took a measured risk by opting to go first, because there were only 35 kilometres of special stages on the first day. In Argentina, there are over 200 kilometres of timed stages on the Friday! If it rains, we’ll need to be at the front to avoid having to wade through the mud. If it doesn’t, then we’d certainly be better off starting in around 15th position.”
Meanwhile, Elena is braced for the tough nature of the Argentine stages: “The roads in Argentina vary from very flowing gravel to fairly rough gravel. You never know quite what to expect. What is certain, however, is that none of the drivers will be able to go flat out from start to finish. There’s a good chance gaps will appear and then disappear, but there may well only be a few seconds between the leaders at the finish.”
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