The fourth round of the 2001 FIA World Rally Championship, Rallye Catalunya, will mark the arrival of
Citroen as a registered contender in the FIA Manufacturers Championship, and also the first round of the
FIA's new cost limiting Super 1600 championship.
The first clear asphalt event in the championship, the rally will be similar in format to previous years but with many detailed changes to stages. Once again, in order to provide just one Service Park location each day, this rally has the longest road sections of any World Championship event, apart from the Safari.
Although every stage is to be repeated, reconnaissance will be difficult. Ford co-driver Nicky Grist has calculated over half of the route this year needs new pacenotes, mostly on account of being run in the opposite direction.
This year the event does not count for the National Rally championship, and there are only six private Spanish competitors on the entry list. This is also the first asphalt World Championship Rally where only two types of tread pattern are allowed, even though the stages in the two separate areas where the rally are held have considerably different style of surface.
The current standings show Tommi Makinen four points ahead of Carlos Sainz, with Harri Rovanpera a further six points behind.
Mitsubishi’s Andrew Cowan, Chairman of Ralliart Europe, said that the team had made a total of nine days' testing just for this event. He added: ''Freddy Loix's transmission failure in Portugal may have been due to mud in the clutch housing, because this also occurred in post-event demonstrations, the day after the event in similar conditions.''
Loix's car has not yet been examined to confirm the reason.
Ford’s main technical innovation for the rally is a new design of sumpguard, aimed at reducing rideheight. Ford made a bold decision to nominate both their types of tread patterns for dry-weather conditions. The theory is that each pattern was ideally suited to different parts of the route. Tread pattern cutting will adequately cater for wet conditions.
Meanwhile, McRae's engine failure in Portugal was found to be a consequence of an ECU malfunction.
At
Hyundai Piero Liatti will replace Kenneth Eriksson alongside Alister McRae in the WRC2’s second competition outing. Asphalt testing of the new model was due to start two days before the reconnaissance, in the hands of guest driver Liatti.
The Italian will be hoping to add to his three podium finishes already achieved at Catalunya.
Subaru will bring new cars to Spain for Burns and Martin.
David Lapworth, SWRT Principal added: ''The decision to run only three cars here and in Argentina is based solely on logistics. We hope to have full four-car teams for the next four gravel events''.
