Gronholm doesn't expect it to be easy though, even if his arch rival and Kronos number one driver,
Sebastien Loeb is still out injured: "It is great that the team is in this position. At the start of the season we knew the Focus RS was fast, but what we didn't know was how reliable it would be in its first season. Reliability has been excellent for an all-new car and I really hope we can take the title. But it's not something we are taking for granted,” he added. “Mikko [Hirvonen – my team-mate] and I have to go out and earn it because our rivals won't make it easy.”
BP Ford number two driver,
Mikko Hirvonen meanwhile heads to the Rally New Zealand on a major high, having taken his first WRC win in Perth at the end of last month. Mikko is eager to show now that it wasn’t a one-off and while he will be eager to repeat that feat sooner rather than later, with Ford so close to clinching the manufacturers’ championship, the 26-year-old is all to aware too that he cannot afford to crash out.
"It was a great occasion [in Australia, when I took my maiden WRC victory] and I enjoyed every single second of it," said Mikko, "but now it's a new rally and I'm ready for fresh battles. Having won once I know that I can win again and I want to prove that Australia wasn't just a one-off and that I can fight for victory against Marcus [Gronholm – my team-mate] and Seb [Loeb]. However in New Zealand the important thing to remember is our challenge for the manufacturers' title. I must not risk losing points by pushing too hard.”
Subaru World Rally Team:
[
Petter Solberg, car #5 and
Chris Atkinson, car #6.]
Petter Solberg is feeling 'very confident' prior to the Rally New Zealand. Solberg and the whole Subaru World Rally team got a major boost on the last event in Australia and while ultimately he had to settle for the runners-up spot he is hopeful the Impreza WRC car will again be competitive, something that should allow him to get another strong result for the Banbury-based outfit.
