Defending World Rally champion Sebastien Loeb is taking nothing for granted as the 2011 season starts on Thursday with new regulations and new cars putting his unfavoured wintry conditions at the back of his mind.
The Swedish round is the only true snow rally on the 13-leg 2011 WRC circuit, but Loeb, who has won the past seven Drivers’ titles, was more concerned about the effects of off-season development than weather conditions.
He’ll be defending his title in a brand new Citroen DS3 rather than the Citroen C4 of the past four seasons.
“I'll be taking it one race at a time”, he said, “because, with a new car, new rules and a new team mate that's a great deal of change and a lot of unknowns.
“But the new car suits me, it’s been reliable in testing, which is encouraging, and I was also agreeably surprised by the engine, the balance and the handling. All that makes me feel everything will go well.”
Loeb, who will be 37 on February 26, added that he expected Ford to do well in Sweden, explaining that everybody knew he himself was more adept on gravel, a surface that will make up nine of the 13 rounds.
The defending champion also insisted there was no pecking order with new team mate Sebastien Ogier.
The Swedish rally will comprise 11 special stages over 351km, each run twice on snow that’s too slippery to walk on but where the cars are expected to hit a hair-raising 200km/h.
The line-up for the rally in the Karlstad region, which will finish on Sunday, will includes 2003 World champion Petter Solberg of Norway, also in a DS3. Despite limited trials in the new car he’s a proven master on the snow - and he can look forward to two specials in his homeland on Day 1. He took eight podiums in 2010 to finish the season third overall, but is without a win since 2005.
Also in the Citroen line-up is 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen, who came 10th in 2010 in his second rally season.
But Ford has won this rally every year since 2006 and Finland's Jari-Matti Latvala, runner-up to Loeb in the 2010 standings and winner in Sweden in 2009, will be hard to beat this time out in his Fiesta RS.
Another Ford pilot, 2010's runaway winner Mikko Hirvonen, will seek a repeat of his success, which might put his disappointing season behind him, while local hero PG Andersson also does well on home snow.
Technical rule changes to car requirements, barring certain automatic functions, will mean more reliance on driver skill; the cars are also be shorter but wider, making them more agile in tight cornering.
The action will start with a Super Special on Thursday night followed by three days of punishing conditions in challenging stages on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
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