The Focus comes back very Ford

“We have considerably reduced Sébastien’s comfort zone Loeb ! » The mischievous Belgian engineer savored with relish, at Loutraki, the victory of Mikko Hirvonen who comes within seven points of the Citroën driver.

Winner of the first five rounds in 2009 and almost undefeated since the restart in August 2008, the five-time world champion was becoming the nightmare for Malcolm Wilson's men:
“I was starting to fear that Loeb would win every rally this season, admits Loriaux. I was stressed for the team and for Ford. We absolutely had to move. »

Major resources were put in place in Sardinia, just before the rally, where a very long test session was held over four days in which Markko Märtin took part: “Personally, I haven't taken a test for a year. But here, it was necessary to review everything from top to bottom. We worked on the springs, the shock absorbers, the three differentials, on the attitude of the car and on the ride heights. »

The work carried out by the Estonian pilot, renowned for his fine tuning skills and equipped with very smooth handling which preserved tire wear, bore fruit: “I wanted to work,” Loriaux continues, “with a driver who didn’t know the car. So without preconceptions. After two days of testing, Mikko took over. He was immediately won over by the new settings. Performance is not just about technique. When a driver feels confident, he can attack harder. »

If Christian Loriaux minimizes the handicap caused by the sweep when Loeb opens the road on the first day, he considers that the Ford has returned to the level of the Citroën. So why not have undertaken this recovery operation sooner? : “Until twelve months ago, I felt that we were dominant or good on earth. Then Citroën regained the upper hand in the middle of the 2008 season by applying more flexible settings to the C4 like those of the Focus. The start of the current championship confirmed the domination of the reds. So it was time to react. »

Regardless, Ford is back in the race for the world title, both on the manufacturers' and drivers' side. Of the five rallies remaining to be contested, four will take place on gravel. The Ford drivers will have to score as many points as possible because the only asphalt round at the end of the season, the Catalunya rally, should in theory remain the preserve of the Citroën Racing crews.

Unprecedented, the next round which will take place in Poland at the end of June, will give a good overview of the new balance of forces?