Present:
Petter Solberg – Subaru World Rally Team
Henning Solberg – OMV Peugeot Norway
Marcus Grönholm – BP-Ford World Rally Team
Luis Moya – Subaru World Rally Team
Xavier Pons – Kronos Total Citroën World Rally Team
Luis Perez-Companc – Stobart VK M-Sport Ford Rally Team
Toshihiro Arai – Subaru Impreza
Gabriel Pozzo – Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Welcome to the pre-event FIA press conference.

Q:
So, Petter, you’re sharing the stage with your brother! Do you think it will be the same on Sunday?

PS:
Well, I think so, that is possible. He has good backing and it can be an interesting rally for him. It’s his first time, maybe he needs to come into the rhythm, but he has a good package.

HS:
I hope so. It’s the first time here for me; it could be difficult, but I hope Petter has a good rally as well – the last two haven’t been good for him or for me. I hope we can both stay on the podium.

Q:
Henning, you are fresh from victory on Rally Norway. There is a big difference in the conditions, but does winning at home like that give you a big confidence boost heading into this rally?

HS:
It was a very good rally for me. I think it can be a very interesting WRC round for next year if it gets in. All things around the rally were good – I hope we get it. Of course, I start the year in Monte, and then in Sweden I wasn’t so happy. I did change the car for the last day in Sweden and did good times then. After that, we were fast in Norway and now we’re here. Shakedown was good, but the stages are difficult and the car’s not so fast – we have more time to think about the corners because of the altitude.

Q:
Petter, the start to your season has not been so good. Have you just been unlucky or are there other reasons? Mexico has always been an event where you and Subaru have shown good speed: why do you think that is? Can you turn your season around here?

PS:
We’ve just been very unlucky. We’re pushing the car to the limit most of the time and things like that can happen. We have to stay together and work on the details. I can push to the limit and maybe I can go off, it works both ways. I hope we have sorted most things. I got a good feeling on the first run at shakedown and we need do the same as always: go and do the best we can. We will see; it’s not just Mexico where I’ve gone well, other rallies also. I think we can go the same speed on every single rally. What can I say? We have altitude here, it’s good for our engine and that’s a bit of an advantage. We can go fast on every single rally if we keep on working on the details. We can have a good chance. I haven’t been attacking for a long, long time. I’ve been quick, but not in a fight. It’s important for points and the podium here, but if things are there and it’s looking good for a win, we will go for it. It’s nice to have a good start position to build the confidence.

Q:
First time for you here Henning, what do you think about it? How difficult is this rally for people who have never seen the stages before?

HS:
There are fast parts, slow parts, slippery parts: you have everything here. I know it’ll be difficult, but I start eighth on the road, which is a very good position. I know that Petter is right behind me – I know I’ve got to keep pushing the throttle.

Q:
Before the start of this rally, David Lapworth, Subaru’s Performance Director, moved to another role within Prodrive. What effect do you think it will have on the performance of the team? How do you feel about your Chief Engineer, Pierre Genon, moving into a different role within the team as well?

PS:
If I had been in the job 22 years doing the same thing, maybe I would need a change, to do something different, to put energy into something else. I will miss David, he helped me a lot through difficult situations, when I had lot of accidents in the early days. He was always very positive. I still have his phone number and his experience over 22 years is incredible. I will still push him, he’s still in Prodrive. The team has a lot of good people, but I’m not involved in the different strategies. I have very good faith in the team. Let’s go for it and see. As for Pierre, he’s been my engineer for a long time. We have achieved a lot of good results in four years, but also Pierre wants to try something else. He’s a good guy who is capable of doing many things. He’s good for testing and developing. It’s also a good thing that he knows what I need, so he can use his strength to develop. I have new guy, ‘FX’, I don’t know his real name yet! He has a lot of previous experience with Marcus (Grönholm). He knows his weak points – we will use them here!

Q:
Mexico has the highest altitude of any round of the World Championship, which makes a strong engine very important. Your Peugeot is well-known for having a very powerful engine – will that give you an advantage? What else do you think about the car?

HS:
I hope so. What are you laughing about Petter…?

PS:
You were complaining about the engine before… you have water injection; you have nothing to complain about!

HS:
We can fight a little here now, maybe! The engine is strong. We have a strong package, good tyres, but it’s my first time here, so it is difficult – that’s the thing I have to work hard with. It’s not easy to put that left foot away from the brake. That’s my biggest problem and something Marcus had with this car here as well. I need to trust the car, diffs and shocks, it will not be a problem. I need to be neat in the corners and I have to be hard with the left foot, but that’s part of the game.

Q:
How important is it for you to win here? Has there been a lot of work done to address the problems you experienced in Sweden? Are you going to be flat-out from the start here in Mexico?

PS:
It’s important not just for me, but the whole team. A lot of us have had a lot of sleepless nights. Everybody’s been flat-out to get back on track again. We deserve more than this after what started in Japan last year. We’re all trying everything to get a very good result. The win is the main thing, but points and the top three is the goal.

Q:
Marcus, you come here with a four-point Championship lead. Did you expect that? How comfortable do you feel?

MG:
I didn’t really expect to win two rallies, no, I was not expecting that. It’s a new car and new team – a fantastic start. I don’t feel comfortable because it’s only a four point lead, but okay that’s good. Now I’m first time on gravel and there are many new things. The car felt good in the test and at shakedown. Let’s see.

Q:
Luis, Petter has just been telling us about the changes at Prodrive. Does this mean that you are now in charge of the team? How does the structure work?

LM:
No, not at all. Paul Howarth becomes Team Manager and the number one person on rallies. In Banbury, it’s Steve Farrell. I have some more responsibilities. For example, here in the press conference, I will do a bit more in driver management, that’s more or less it.

Q:
Like all the other teams, Mexico is the first round where you have not tested in the local area. How much of a disadvantage is that? Your team boss Malcolm Wilson has said that he is potentially concerned about reliability issues here – do you have the same concern? On the last day of Sweden we saw that the Ford is not completely bullet proof yet…

MG:
Okay, we have a new car in these conditions and we don’t know what the high altitude will do. Hopefully it will be okay, I can’t say now, but we will see tomorrow. I’m not thinking about things, it will be okay I hope. In the test we were running without any problems, I’m really hopeful it will be the same here.

Q:
Last year Chris Atkinson showed a lot of promising speed here in Mexico, but the concern for Subaru now must be to get some points on the scoreboard. What is the plan for Chris here – can he drive as fast as he likes or do you need him to get to the finish?
 
LM:
It’s something between those two. We want him to drive fast, but we want the finish as well. The top five will be enough. Chris has proved he’s competitive in gravel and asphalt, there’s no reason why he cannot do it.

Q:
You drove the Focus on gravel for the first time recently: what did you think of it? What are the strongest areas? Where is it still necessary to do some work? Does the car have the same basic characteristics on gravel as it does on icy Tarmac and snow, like Monte and Sweden?

MG:
It’s good, as good as it was in Sweden, no question. I feel comfortable, now we have to see tomorrow. I don’t know how fast we are yet. The car is easy to drive and the suspension is really good. We can go really fast in the rough places – that’s really amazing. The strongest areas, we will see where we do the work. Okay, we can do a job with the differential and things like that, but I can tell you more on Sunday.

Q:
Earlier this week we heard the news that Suzuki will join the Championship and David Richards has stated that other manufacturers are set to join, what do you think this says about the Championship?

LM:
That’s good news. I think the Championship is going through one of its healthiest periods for a long time, even since I was competing. In Monte Carlo, we had 50 per cent more World Rally Cars; there are 14 here as well. Then we have 16 events in the WRC plus eight candidate rallies wanting a place. I feel very positive about the future.

Q:
And what do you think, Marcus? Does this help younger drivers, like Kosti Katajamaki, for example?

MG:
There are a few coming, Suzuki and somebody else. At the moment it’s hard for young drivers to find a good seat, but this can change in one or two years; I think we are going in the right direction.

Q:
Welcome to both of you. For Luis, this rally is a lot closer to home than it is for Xavier, but as native Spanish speakers, what is it like for you both to come here? Do you get a lot of local support?

LPC:
Yeah, it’s like being at home. It’s the nearest rally I have. The Spanish also, all the people, it  feels like home. The stages are like home in Argentina as well. For me, I do get support. Spanish speaking is good, we communicate with the fans better when we are coming from the same continent.

XP:
The truth is, yes, we have more support – we communicate with the people also.

Q:
How tough is it to be Sébastien Loeb’s team-mate at Citroën? Are you learning a lot from him? Where do you think he finds the speed in the car from? How much closer to his pace do you think you can get by the end of the year?
XP:
Sébastien is magnificent, a great person. We get along well and I hope to improve. At the start of the season it was difficult, but I’m getting used to it now. Where he finds the speed? In the fast tracks, that’s where we are working – and in the slow tracks as well.

Q:
Luis, a tricky event for you as it is your first time in Mexico. What is your impression of the stages? Are you going to drive flat-out or will you have to be tactical: your Stobart team is only one point behind Subaru, Will that be a factor in your performance?

LPC:
I like this rally very much. As I said, it’s pretty much like Rally Argentina, you have good wide roads. There are just one or two twisty stages, but in general it’s a very good rally – one you can really enjoy. I would like to go as fast as I can, but I have a two-year programme with Ford. This year’s for experience – to make sure I have good notes. My goal for this rally is to get to the finish on Sunday and go as fast as I can, but all of the time being safe.

Q:
How about you, Xevi: is your main focus going to be scoring points for Kronos? Or are you looking for a top overall result, now that you are back on a surface which you are a bit more familiar with? You’ve had some good battles in the past with another Spanish team-mate of yours, Dani Sordo. How do you think he will go here?

XP:
It’s important to finish the rally and take the most points. I like the rally a lot; I hope it will go well. Yes, I have had some good fights with Dani, but we’re in the same team – I’m looking forward to another fight with him.

Q:
You have driven a few different cars during your career, how does the latest customer-spec Ford Focus compare to them? Is your plan to upgrade to a 2006-spec car as soon as you can?

LPC:
It’s an incredible car, very easy to drive. Sometimes I would say it’s like a tank. I hurt it all the time, but it goes and goes. It’s proven to be a very good car. If I can drive a 2006 car that would be nice, that’s the idea, but first I have to know the car and get more experience with this one, then we’ll see.

Q:
Is it the sort of event where you need specialist experience to do well? Or can somebody contesting it for the first time still stand a reasonable chance of success?

XP:
It’s a rally I don’t know. It’s going to be okay.

Q:
Welcome Toshi, your first rally of 2006 and your first rally as defending Champion. You’ve got a new car this year – what is it like compared to the old one? In which areas are the biggest improvements? Do you feel a big difference when driving it, compared to the 2005-spec Group N Impreza?

TA:
I think it’s quite good. Subaru did some new areas: brakes and top mount, it’s better than before, with the transmission as well. I hope the centre diff is the biggest change; it’s feeling very good for the gravel. It feels quite different to drive: easy and good traction.

Q:
Gabriel, welcome back. It’s your first event of 2006 as well but you are a bit closer to home compared to Toshi: how good do you think your chances of class victory are here? Who will be the strongest drivers, do you think?

GP:
It’s the first time for me in Mexico, but it’s not going to be easy. Two laps (on the recce) is not enough, but we have a good car. Everything is new, we’ll try to do our best. I don’t know, anything is possible. The Group N is difficult, there are many drivers with a lot of experience doing WRC for many years from all over the world. They know the roads and the race, but I have very good feeling with the car. The two passes mean I can make the notes, but it’s not the same as knowing the stages. It’s very fast. It’s similar to Argentina, good grip and fast, but it changes all the time – sometimes fast, sometimes twisty. In the shakedown we don’t know, there were too many lines. In the rally I think the road will be okay.

Q:
Toshi, we’ve spoken with some of the other drivers about the problems of the altitude here: how does that affect a Group N car? Do you have to alter your driving style to make up for it?

TA:
It’s a bit slower than standard, not so good. We’re all the same, though, so I can’t be too sad. Some places I’m using a much lower gear, but not so big difference.

Q:
Is this a good rally for Group N cars? Are the conditions here quite similar to those back at home in Argentina? Do you think that it favours local drivers?

GP:
Yes. It’s nice, good, very good if you keep the lines, but difficult if you go off line – too slippery. It’s good because it’s fast. When it’s fast, it’s good for Group N. It’s difficult to get the opportunity to do many rallies and continue in other rallies, it’s difficult to get sponsors in South America; it can be hard to do a good programme.

Q:
How much testing have you had since you won the Championship last year? Do you feel confident that you can win it again? What do you think about your rivals this year, compared to those you faced in 2005?

TA:
Not so much testing here and in Japan. In Japan we had a lot of snow, so I cannot test. I hope I can win again. It’ll definitely be tougher as there are many tough drivers, particularly Gabriel and Marcos (Ligato)

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR:

Martin Holmes (Martin Holmes Rallying), GB

Q:
Toshi, welcome back. Will you compete in the Asia-Pacific series this year?

TA:
It’s not decided yet, but I hope to compete in the APRC.