"I have come close to winning Rally Australia a number of times," he commented. "True, it's not my favourite event as far as the stages go, but the people are so hospitable and the organisation is really very good. It's an event where you need to feel more confident than elsewhere. The stages are fast, narrow and the trees are very close. You need to be fired up 120 per cent. What is sure is that more than ever I will be out to win!"
Sebastien Loeb is also confident.
"We went very well last year... to my great surprise," he continued. "My memory of the previous year was a bit negative and I was a little concerned prior to the start, but then I was delighted to see how competitive we were. The technical team had turned the car into an awesome machine. This year, everybody is expecting everything to go well, including us. I just hope we don't have a bad surprise."
Marlboro Peugeot Total:
[Marcus Gronholm, car #5 and Harri Rovanpera, car #6].
Harri Rovanpera will join up with Marcus Gronholm for the final event of the season. Gronholm has an impressive record on the Australian event, having claimed a hat-trick of wins in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
"It's one of my favourites and I have often gone very well here," he said. "After finishing in second place in Spain, where I wasn't expecting such a good result on what is a very specific rally, I would really like to score a fourth win in Australia. I am fired up at the idea of giving my team a chance to end the year with a top finish."
Ford Motor Company:
[
Markko Martin, car #7 and
Francois Duval, car #8.]
BP-Ford has nominated Michelin's Z and ZE pattern gravel tyres for Oz. The Z tyre, the French company's standard dry weather pattern, will be cut to provide the best grip on Australia's unique ball-bearing surface. The ZE is a narrower tyre of a similar pattern but more suitable for wet or muddy roads. It is also particularly effective for cars running high up the starting order on roads covered with loose gravel, as it is especially suited to cut through to the hard surface beneath.
