The 32nd Cyprus Rally takes place this coming weekend - the fifth round out of sixteen in the 2004
FIA World Rally Championship.
Cyprus - like Japan - does
not count towards either the 2004 FIA Production Car WRC or the 2004 FIA Junior WRC.
This year's event sees the rally service park move 2km west of Limassol Port, while Rally HQ will be based at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Following the ceremonial start on Thursday evening, the rally will begin in earnest on Friday when crews travel 63km to the start of the longest test of the event, the 38.32kms stage from Lagoudera. Each of the three legs comprises six stages (a group of three repeated), making a total of 326.68 competitive kilometres.
The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp in Limassol at 1414hrs on Sunday.
Special notes:
Being run as a WRC event for the fifth time, the Cyprus Rally was originally introduced to the calendar in 2000 as a replacement for the 555 Rally of China.
Presenting drivers with a series of twisty, rock-strewn stages similar to those used in nearby Greece, the event has become renowned as one of the toughest in the championship. Scorching temperatures, thick dust and rutted roads combine to make driving conditions difficult and both car and driver will face an arduous challenge.
Based largely on rocky tracks high in the Troodos Mountains, the event's stages are among the narrowest and twistiest in the championship. In these conditions cars are expected to record average speeds of just 67kph, barely half those recorded on smooth gravel rallies, such as Rally Finland.
The low speeds mean less airflow for the car's cooling systems, and with May temperatures in Cyprus likely to be around 30°C, it's usually one of the toughest events for mechanical components and tyres.
FIA World Rally Championship news:
Markko Martin leads the World Rally drivers' championship, one point ahead of Citroen's
Sebastien Loeb. Ford meanwhile head the constructors' - 9 points ahead of
Citroen.
News from the Manufacturers' teams:
555 Subaru World Rally Team:
[
Petter Solberg, car #1 and Mikko Hirvonen, car #2.]
Following New Zealand - where Petter Solberg notched up his first victory of 2004, the Norwegian attended a gravel test in Andorra at the end of April. As he was still suffering some discomfort from a muscular strain that had been caused while driving with no power steering in NZ, on the second day of the test the team decided that driving duties should be handed over to
Mikko Hirvonen. Following the advice of the test team doctor, Solberg returned home to Monte Carlo to rest for three to four days as a precautionary measure to ensure he was fully recovered for the Cyprus Rally.
