Q&A: Enrico Bertone.

Less than two weeks before the start of the prestigious Madeira Rally, two-time European Rally Champion, Enrico Bertone, is ready to face this tarmac challenge. Scheduled to drive the eighth evolution of Peugeot 306 Maxi, he talks about the island of Madeira and his preparation for this event.

Q:How many times have you contested the Madeira Rally before and what can you say about your finishing record on the isle of Madeira?

Less than two weeks before the start of the prestigious Madeira Rally, two-time European Rally Champion, Enrico Bertone, is ready to face this tarmac challenge. Scheduled to drive the eighth evolution of Peugeot 306 Maxi, he talks about the island of Madeira and his preparation for this event.

Q:How many times have you contested the Madeira Rally before and what can you say about your finishing record on the isle of Madeira?

Enrico Bertone: "This year's Madeira Rally will be the fourth of my career. I first contested this event in 1986 with a Peugeot 307, but did not see the finish line that time. I did not make it to island of Madeira again until the last two years. In 1999 it was with a Renault Megane Kit Car and I finished at the top of the formula two class. I drove a Ford Escort WRC last year with another good finish. Overall, this has not been the best event for me, but I like its character and look forward to recording another good result there this year."

Q: The Madeira is an asphalt event posing numerous challenges to the teams as well as drivers. What will be the major obstacles/challenges for a driver who wants to be successful in this rally?

Bertone: "The rally itself is contested on very good asphalt. Its stages consist of very many bends and hairpins that make the timed sections technically demanding on precision. As the tests are staged in the mountains, one is constantly driving up and down the hills."

Q: Are there any special things you do to prepare for this event?

Bertone: "The rally is not very specific, not so much as Catalunya in the World Rally Championship, for example. However, it is absolutely necessary to have good notes and drive smoothly with great precision in order to be fast in the corners. There is not much time for practice during the recce and that also makes it hard to be quick at all times."

Q: Tyre choice for the abrasive asphalt roads will prove to be a great challenge for all front-runners. How important is it to select the best tyres and how will you approach this?

Bertone: "Good tyres are always important. The Madeira tarmac is of very good quality and is rather consistent and abrasive throughout the rally. I must say that there will not be a big difference between Michelin and Pirelli as both should provide drivers with very good traction. It is all about how fast one can be, especially in the bends. Only then one can win."

Q: Any tarmac event run on dry roads always suits a select group of the best Formula 2 cars. How competitive can you be against the competition of the many World Rally Cars due to enter the rally?

Bertone: "There will not be a huge difference between F2s and WRC cars, but it is clear that World Rally Cars are and will be better and faster. This is especially true as an air intake restrictor must be used and the regulations have made the formula two cars heavier. It is not possible to compare cars of these two specifications.

"For instance, it has been calculated that a kit car will loose about 1.5 seconds per kilometer to a WRC car on asphalt rallies in Belgium. On Madeira island, on the other hand, it is likely to be about .5 second per kilometer. As for my performance, I will have to see once the rally is underway."

Q: Finally, what are your objectives and ambitions on this event? Is it realistic for you to finish in top three or possibly win the rally?

Bertone: "This will be a tremendously competitive event for all of us in formula two cars. My objective is to finish up in the top ten overall and win the F2 class, maybe I might manage to get into the top six overall, though I do know that this will be very hard to do. There will be many well-prepared World Rally Cars with good drivers. I understand that many stages have changed too, so having done this rally before will be of a fairly small advantage to me this year."

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