Q&A: Jean-Charles Odon - Peugeot.

After back-to-back successes on the asphalt of Corsica and Catalonia, the 206 WRC enters a new phase of its 2002 campaign with the rock-strewn Cyprus Rally, a terrain that wasn't particularly favourable to it last year.

Preparation for this year's visit to the Mediterranean island has been especially important. Jean-Charles Odon, the man in charge of pre-event testing, talks us through the process:

Q:
What is a typical timetable for pre-event testing?

Jean-Charles Odon:
Preparation for the 2002 Cyprus Rally began the day the 2001 event ended. As soon as possible after the finish of each rally, whether our performance is positive or otherwise, a team briefing is organised to analyse and comment the way the weekend went. All the data is carefully dissected and this, coupled with the individual experience of each team member, gives a pointer to the direction in which we need to work. After that, we design and produce the components we believe are necessary for the following year. Having said that, the cars evolve all the time, which means that certain improvements are introduced as a matter of course between two visits to any given rally. As the date of the event approaches, the preparation specific to that event is organised in two successive phases: development work and actual pre-rally work.

Q:
Can you talk us through these two phases?

JCO:
Development testing aimed at determining the solutions concerning individual rallies is generally organised some three weeks to a month prior to the start of that event. However, there are events such as the Safari that must be prepared a long time prior to that. Our pre-Cyprus work began mid-March, that is to say a month and a half before the start. As a rule, we don't actually travel to the country of the event itself. By this time, work on the one or two clearly defined areas targeted for improvement is already underway. Our priority is therefore to use a test base that allows us to concentrate on those parameters we are interested in. The name of the game is to break the back of the work and establish a basic set-up for the car. This is generally done with a test driver. Actual pre-rally testing, in which we focus specially on that event, comes afterwards and takes place in the country of the rally. Or, if that is impossible, at a base offering similar characteristics in order to match the car as closely as possible to the conditions we will find. For the drivers entered for that rally, it is a chance to begin familiarising themselves with the terrain and, above all, to finalise their individual set-ups.

Q:
Does that mean each driver works in his own corner?

JCO:
Only to a point. This year, there is just one rally engineer at testing for everyone. In Cyprus, that was me. Often, there isn't a big difference between individual driver set-ups. Today, the 206 WRC is competitive and efficient. The basic car defined after last month's test was already very good. Building on that base, the differences between the cars of Richard Burns, Marcus Gr?nholm and Harri Rovanper? will be minimal. They might have different driving styles, but the set-ups of our three drivers on gravel are not radically different. And that's only logical. The work carried out upstream by the development team aims to be as effective as possible. So, at the end of the day, all three drivers should be capable of driving the car of their team-mates...

Q:
Is there a difference between pre-event testing for gravel and asphalt?

JCO:
The methodology is the same. Basically, a proportion of our time is given over to setting up the car, while time is also set aside for tyre evaluation and validation. The exact time dedicated to each can vary according to the needs of the moment, whether the car is delicate to set up or whether Michelin has a lot of new products for us to try. We cover between 100 and 200km a day. That will depend on whether endurance runs are programmed or how satisfied the drivers are. The distance covered in testing is more a function of our knowledge of the terrain than the actual type of surface. For example, given the benchmarks we have on asphalt, we spent less time testing for Corsica and Spain than we did prior to Cyprus, which is the first gravel round of the season. We worked very hard on the suspensions, but also on the tyres since we had problems with wear last year. The high temperatures and the twisty special stages that starve the engine of cooling air also pose a problem. To address them, we divided our work in to the two phases I described previously. A certain number of solutions were looked at and tested during the development phase. In the pre-rally tests, we evaluated the benefits of each one and decided on the option to be used for the event itself. There can be cases where there isn't really a viable solution and where you have to make the best from what you've got. But as a general rule, our drawing office and development teams work very well. In the majority of cases, we tend to be spoilt for choice.

Q:
What sort of organisation is required for pre-event testing?

JCO:
The team is comprised of around fifteen people: rally engineer, electronics engineers, mechanics, truck drivers, logistics staff and the crews. As a rule, you're looking at a full week away from home. According to how soon the event follows the test or the length of the trip, it is not rare for the bulk of the team to remain on site until the end of the rally. But this is part and parcel of the workload of a team that is committed to the World Rally Championship. Everything has a price.