Day 2 – info

Day 2 of Rally Argentina is about to get underway. Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson will restart again today under Rally2, after steering arm problems caused them to retire from the rally yesterday. – I was driving in the ruts when the sump guard under the car touched some exposed bedrock and the impact bent the left steering arm, Petter explained. – I continued at normal pace for another 10km until the arm snapped in mid-air at a sixth gear crest about 6km from the finish. The car went off the road when it landed and the front right hit a rock.

Solberg and Patterson replaced the broken arm with a spare unit carried in the car. However, when they restarted they discovered the right steering arm broke in the second impact and they had to stop.

Petter had a 20 second lead when they hit problems on SS4, but will restart today as car number 11, 14 minutes behind the leader. However, with 300kms and 13 stages still to go, this rally is not finished yet!

Itinerary day 2 Rally Argentina (Local times. CET is +5hrs)
08:30 SS7 San Agustin-Santa Rosa 1 20,18km
09:18 SS8 Amboy-Santa Monica 1 20,33km
10:31 SS9 Intiyaco – Golpe de Agua 1 39,74km
Service
14:44 SS10 San Agustin-Santa Rosa 2 20,18km
15:32 SS11 Amboy-Santa Monica 2 20,33km
16:45 SS12 Intiyaco-Golpe de Agua 2 39,74km
Service
19:50 SS13 Amarok 6,04km

After SS5

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson had to retire from Rally Argentina on SS4 after a damaged steering arm. They worked for a long time on the stage, trying to repair it, but had to retire at the end. Will try to continue tomorrow under Rally2, will confirm that later.

There are still one more stage to go today in Argentina, and it continues with 7 more stages on Saturday. First car will be on the road from 08:30 local time (13:30 CET).

O/A after SS5
1. Loeb
2. Hirvonen +1,1
3. Sordo +13,1
4. Østberg +56,3

SS4

SS4 La Pampa (37,51km)
1. Loeb 22.56,3
2. Hirvonen +2,4
3. Østberg +10,3
4. Neuville +15,6
5. Sordo +15,6

Petter stopped on stage with broken steering arm. Trying to repair it on stage.

O/A after SS3

Rally Argentina has finally started properly, and after three stages Petter and Chris is leading overall. Heading back to service now, before 3 stages again this afternoon.

Overall classification after SS3
1. Petter
2. Mikko +20,1
3. Sordo +24,6
4. Loeb +34,8
5. Neuville +38,0
6. Mads +51,1

SS3

SS3 Ascochinga (51,88km):
1. Petter 37.50,7
2. Mikko +3,5
3. Sordo +10,1
4. Neuville +13,7
5. Loeb +26,5
- It is not going to be easy, and easy to make a mistake. Hit a bank and thought I had a puncture after.

Novikov stopped on stage. Loeb with two spins.

SS2

SS2 La Pampa (37,51km):
1. Loeb 23.12,5
2. Petter +1,9
3. Hirvonen +5,2
4. Sordo +12,8
- Very slippery in tricky sections. Safety foam came loose inside the car. Happy though!

Tanak, Al-Attiyah with problems.

SS1 – Stage win for Petter

SSS1 Amarok – 6,04km:
1. Petter, Ford
2. Dani Sordo, Ford +3,6
3. Østberg, Ford +4,8
4. Tanak, Ford +5,2
5. Novikov, Ford +5,2
8. Loeb, Citroën +10,2

“I decided not to use soft tyres in qualifying for a reason, I used them for this stage and as the roads were very slippery, they made a big difference. It was a tricky stage but I had a good run. It’s important to think ahead to the rest of the weekend. It was a good start and hopefully I can continue like this.”

Rally Argentina continues with 5 stages Friday. First car is on the road from 07:28 local time (11:28 CET). They start with two minutes gaps.

Shakedown & Qualifying

Petter ended with the second fastest time on this mornings practise runs, and 4th quickest on the qualifying stage. Loeb were quickest through, Mikko second fastest and Dani third. Lots of issues to take into consideration before the actual choice is made. Will it rain, will it be fog, will it be cold, what are the stages like? And what will the 3 guys in front pick? Difficult for the drivers, but very exciting for the spectators.

The big selection takes place at 1pm local time (CET + 4hrs).

Rally Argentina 2012

Petter Solberg and Chris Patterson are in South America for the 5^th event of the 2012 WRC – Rally Argentina. With a total of 503 competitive kilometres, this event is set to be the endurance test this season. 7 of the 19 stages are longer than 37kms, and the rally also offers the longest stage of the season on Sunday – SS14 – 65,74kms.

Currently second in the Drivers Standings, Petter is looking forward to start his WRC event number 180. – Rally Argentina has always been one of my favourite events, says the Norwegian. – It is a challenging event, and again road position and tyre choice will be key factors. Especially this year, when they have added 120kms to the normal distance we do. The Ford Fiesta has proven to be a fantastic car, so I’m not worried. Will not push maximum from the start, as I am confident we will be able to push hard when we need it.
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