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news :: rally
Stage summaries with Phil Mills
27 March 2008
Source: Subaru World Rally Team
SS1 / SS8 La Cumbre – Agua de Oro (18.70km)
The opening stage of the rally is the same as we’ve used for the last three years, so is a familiar piece of road. Fog has been a problem in the past, but the sate change will mean we’ll have a clear run this year. The surface gets rutted quite quickly and there are several hairpin bends where cars have been known to end up on their sides. At the start there’s a steep climb along a narrow hill track lined with rocks and boulders, then after that it’s downhill pretty much all the way, but the decline is gradual. The stage has a slow average speed – just above 70kph – and you have to be very precise because it’s so narrow.
SS2 / SS5 Ascochinga – La Cumbre (23.28km)
Again, this stage has been used for a number of years. We run uphill from start to finish, with some fast and twisty sections. There is a good base to the road here, so we actually get a bit of road cleaning with each car that passes. Fog on the higher altitude parts towards the end won’t be a problem like it has been previously, but if it rains hard it can get muddy and very slippery.
SS3 / SS6 Capilla del Monte – San Marcos (22.95km)
The third stage of the day is a gravel test in the Punilla Valley, to the north of Villa Carlos Paz. It’s identical to last year, so experience helps. We start alongside the El Cajon lake and parallel the waterfront for a few kilometres. The stage has got a hard base and is very rocky, with lots of loose stones covering the surface. When we make the second pass in the afternoon it should be cleaner, but there’ll be a real risk of punctures here. Some parts of this test are very narrow so it’s a tricky one.
SS4 / SS7 San Marcos – Charbonier (9.61km)
This is an old stage that we haven’t used since 2003. It’s very narrow at the start and equally tricky on loose surface for the first five kilometres, then it’s absolutely flat out to the finish. It’s the shortest stage other than the spectator superspecials, but it’s very easy to get punctures on the rocky surface so you have to be very careful.
SS9 / SS18 / SS21 Cordoba Stadium (1.78km)
The spectator Superspecial stages are actually just outside the stadium in Cordoba, and are very open and flowing. There’s a huge jump in it that we’ll have to be careful over as it’s so large it’s easy to break the car. The stage is well laid out and wide so there’s plenty of space to throw the car around, which is exactly what the fans want to see!
SS10 / SS14 Santa Monica – Amboy (22.17km)
The opening stage of day two is amazingly fast. It’s the exact reverse of last year so it’ll be a little different. There aren’t many long straights and you have to be very precise through the corners. The stage route hasn’t changed in the last ten years, so experience counts for a lot. It’ll just be a case of reversing what we’ve already got and changing the visual markers we’re used to. There is one very technical section which can easily catch crews out. It’s a tough one to start the day with.
SS11 / SS15 Villa Del Dique – Las Bajadas (16.41km)
As with the previous stage, this is another that is the exact reverse of last year’s test. It’s quite short at only 16 kilometres and very fast, so we seem to complete the stage very quickly. There are some tricky parts but most of it is long flat out straights, some over 800m long, with a big jump midway through.
SS12 / SS16 San Agustin – Villa General Belgrano (23.28km)
This stage was last used in 2001, and was made quite famous because Carlos Sainz hit the guardrail on the flying finish. It starts fast for two kilometres then it’s the trickiest, most technical stage of the whole rally. There are crests, hairpins, ten narrow farm gates, and the stage has a soil base so if it rains it’s almost impossible to get good grip. It’s definitely the tricky stage of the rally.
SS13 / SS17 Santa Rosa – San Agustin (21.41km)
This stage is a very flowing test that is exactly the same as was used last year. The average speed is much faster, at approximately 100kph, but it’s still quite technical and you need to be very precise. Traditionally there’s a famous watersplash right in front of a spectator grandstand, one kilometre from the start, but with the date change and the warmer and drier weather, this won’t be so prominent this year.
SS19 Mina Clavero – Giulio Cesare (24.70km)
The famous ‘Up Condor’ stage, this is another that has been used for the last three years or so. It really is a rally where experience counts. We start at 976 metres above sea level and finish at 1991 metres, and the whole stage is a steep climb. The first four kilometres are really quick, with lots of rocks to avoid and a very soft and rutted road surface. On the tight corners you’ve no option but to use the ruts to guide the car around the bend.
SS20 El Condor – Copina (15.99km)
The classic El Condor, or ‘Down Condor’, is all downhill from 2122 metres above sea level to 1432 metres. This is an Argentine favourite, although this year the start has been moved forward by 800m or so. Speed here is quite slow because there are some tricky passes and four very narrow wooden slatted bridges to cross. The main difference in this stage is the temperature – it’s much cooler due to the altitude. The stage has a bit of everything - hairpin corners, sprint sections, blind crests - the whole lot really. What makes it so special is the landscape; it’s very lunar and littered with huge rocks and boulders. You don’t want to have to come into the last two stages pushing for position as they’re incredibly challenging.
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