Despite a podium lock-out for Citroen in Germany, Ford is upbeat about the pace of its Focus WRC on asphalt, with two sealed-surface events remaining this year.
Jari-Matti Latvala, who generally feels more comfortable on gravel, put in his best asphalt performance yet, challenging for a podium throughout the rally before eventually finishing fourth, just 20 seconds behind Sebastien Ogier.
Yesterday, he lost about the same amount of time with a spin on Panzerplatte, so the 25-year-old Finn is now confident that he can fight at the front on asphalt.
Latvala said: “This weekend I’ve been more confident on asphalt than ever before. It’s not my favourite surface but I had a really good feeling here and I don’t feel so concerned about driving on the surface any more. This is my best result in Germany and it has given me a big boost for the two remaining asphalt rounds this season.”
Latvala’s performance has come as a welcome relief to Ford after the team was left trailing by Citroen at the all-asphalt Bulgaria Rally last month. Since then, the British-based team has instigated a thorough review of all the factors that could have led to a lack of asphalt performance.
Ford’s senior motorsport manager Gerard Quinn commented: “For me, this rally is a sign that all the work we have done since Bulgaria has paid off. We were very thorough in our analysis and you can see the results here.”
Latvala previously put forward the theory that the Ford’s engine and gearbox package suffered at high altitudes, such as Mexico and Bulgaria. The remaining two asphalt rounds in France and Spain are not particularly high up, which is good news for Ford.
The Finn also pointed out that his own asphalt technique has improved considerably since competing in the Nurburgring 24 Hours and undergoing specialist driver training. “All these things definitely help,” he said. “It’s coming together now and I am sure we can carry this feeling through for the rest of the year.”
– Credit: www.wrc.com