Ford targets asphalt podium in Germany

The opening event of the 16-round series in Monte Carlo offered the only taste of asphalt action so far this year. It provided a successful debut for both partnerships in the 2005 Ford Focus RS World Rally Car as second position for Gardemeister and eighth for Kresta ensured points for both. The roads to be encountered in Germany could not be more different than the Alpine mountain asphalt that comprises the Monte Carlo Rally.

The rally is based close to Trier, Germany's oldest city, and just across the border from Luxembourg and France. The speed tests are located in three different areas and the characteristics of each vary enormously, requiring a different car set-up for each day's competition.

The bumpy narrow speed tests in the Mosel vineyards, tackled on the opening leg, comprise fast straights linked by tight hairpin bends and square junctions. Corners are hidden by tall vines and dirt dragged onto the driving line makes corners slippery. The smoother roads in Saarland, which comprise the final day, are more flowing, generally faster but still narrow and slippery in the wet.

In Baumholder, the military land used for tank training by US soldiers offers conditions which drivers encounter nowhere else during the season. Fast, wide asphalt contrasts with bumpy, abrasive concrete which will require high durability from the Michelin tyres fitted to the Focus RS cars. Massive kerb stones, known as Hinkelsteine, more commonly used to keep tanks on the roads, line many of Baumholder's winding tracks. They sit on the edge of the road ready to punish the slightest mistake. The asphalt is also dirty, a mixture of gravel and sand making conditions slippery in the dry and treacherous in the wet.

Thirty-year-old Gardemeister will be starting in Germany for the fourth time and in 2004 finished seventh. "This event is very difficult when the weather is changing all the time. But I've set some good times on previous occasions there and I hope to do the same again this year. The Baumholder stages are challenging, especially when it rains when they become incredibly slippery and muddy. I don't really enjoy driving on those roads with all the concrete blocks by the side of them," he said.

The Finnish crew completed over 500kms of testing at the weekend. "We had a very wet test and the last forecast I saw predicted dry conditions for the rally, so that's unwelcome for us. But the Focus RS has proved competitive on asphalt, so I'm hoping for a podium finish. We've got a good chance I think. The main aim is to get a good result, pick up some points and move back up the championship order," he commented.

Kresta has retired on both his previous German outings. "If everything works well, then I'm confident that we can have a good result," said the 29-year-old. "It's a difficult event with unpredictable weather but our pre-event test to determine car setup was fantastic, with mixed weather conditions for two days, similar to those we've experienced in the past on this event. This was the first time we've tested the Focus RS WRC on asphalt and it was an incredible feeling."

The Czech driver has no concerns about starting the event following a six-month break from co-driver Jan Tománek. "Jan and I are looking forward to competing together again. The roads we will tackle on Sunday are very similar to those in the Czech Republic so we'll both feel at home there! Having competed here twice before, we have some good pace notes," he commented. "I'm pleased that we will have a safety crew because tyre choice will be crucial and we want to be able to push really hard."