Gronholm tests Subaru... and is quicker than Petter and Chris?!

[duff]

From an Australian rally website

http://www.rallysportmag.com.au/home/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3172&Itemid=2

A pretty loosely worded article that sounds like not too much more than rumors - but very interesting if it is all true!

[L5->R5/CR]

I wouldn't doubt Marcus to be able to be faster than Petter and Chris but...

The test was at a different time of day and potentially with different conditions.

Lets not forget all of the other things that have supposedly come out of SWRT tests. If we were to believe those....

The last three SWRT cars would have been capable of breaking the speed of light on stage (so much faster than old cars).
The handling would be so good that it would be tele-kenetic (and the snake would have been a bad foul mouthed joke).
Petter would have been able to win each rally so easily he'd have to blind fold himself and get Phil to read the notes in sand scrit....

Or maybe you can't believe a damn thing that is reported from SWRT tests...

[WRCfan]

When someone declines to comment it means they probably are trying to keep the news on the down-low. If Gronholm hadn't been in the car they would have said a firm "no" to him being there. I don't doubt it that Gronholm was there, and that he was 3 seconds faster.

Nothing suprises me, Subaru has a new car which all hopes are pinned on. So far it's running about as good as a sack of crap, Chris is doing well although Petter just can't seem to do anything in the car. Time for a moral booster and maybe a couple of glistening performances from Gronhom are what is needed in this team...

[Tomi]

It was the papers about that here sometime ago already, no doubt Grönholm would be faster, but can Prodrive be trusted in stuff they announce is already a different thing.

[WRCfan]

For prodrive to announce this if it wasn't true then it's a pretty bad bit of marketing. It's a pretty dumb thing for pro-drive to go and announce the car has more capable than their contracted drivers can squeeze out of it. Doesn't make the long-time drivers Petter and Chris look very flash.

Not quite sure, although Markko Martin has said before the car has good pace, so it doesn't suprise me if the boys have been out doing skids in a 08 version. Should go checking Mikkelsen's HP and so on, maybe something dropped on a forum/comment/blog of some kind.....

[Tomi]

For prodrive to announce this if it wasn't true then it's a pretty bad bit of marketing. It's a pretty dumb thing for pro-drive to go and announce the car has more capable than their contracted drivers can squeeze out of it. Doesn't make the long-time drivers Petter and Chris look very flash.

Not quite sure, although Markko Martin has said before the car has good pace, so it doesn't suprise me if the boys have been out doing skids in a 08 version. Should go checking Mikkelsen's HP and so on, maybe something dropped on a forum/comment/blog of some kind.....

Maybe the long time drivers have been there too long time already, also Märtin was their testdriver, i guess he says what the team wants him to say.

[WRCfan]

Petter has been there way to long no one doubts that. Also Chris is doing alright at the moment compared to previous times so a 50/50. Although with Petter im wondering if it is the car or him...not too sure.

Martin, yeah he will say what he wants to an extent although won't badmouth the car to the press of course.

[grugsticles]

Petter has been there way to long no one doubts that. Also Chris is doing alright at the moment compared to previous times so a 50/50. Although with Petter im wondering if it is the car or him...not too sure.

Martin, yeah he will say what he wants to an extent although won't badmouth the car to the press of course.
Thats ann interesting point you make there reguarding if the 08 car is 'for Petter'.

Petter wanted a longer wheel base than the old Impreza but with minimal front and rear overhang, which is what he got.
But the cruitial thing is that Marco, being the test driver, has most likly had the majority of the driver fed influence on what direction the car development takes.

As for Gronholm being quicker, thats probably due to a combination of motivation (after having a rest for a year), confidence (from the Focus) and as stated the difference in weather and road conditions.

[Tomi]

As for Gronholm being quicker, thats probably due to a combination of motivation (after having a rest for a year), confidence (from the Focus) and as stated the difference in weather and road conditions.

Yes and the others are propably just learning the new car.

[Donney]

It seems that car is impossible to learn.

[Livewireshock]

Testing reports are always something that you have to take with a grain of salt.

We the public never know the real circumstances of the test as they occur. Time of day, fuel loads, suspension settings, old tires, new tires and much much more.

Petter and Chris may have been driving to a set program, full event simulation. Trying to evaluate different components at different settings, so they can gain a feel for the car for the next event.

Marcus had no such impediments, he was there more or less to drive as he pleased possibly. There are not the same requirements needed from him. So car set up could have been radically different because he did not have to conform to a program.

All news is good news, so Gronholm going faster is always likely to grab headlines, despite the poor image it gives to the existing drivers. It could also be a ploy to make Marcus hungry for more, encouraging him to sign the dotted line for SWRT.

The reasons and possibilities are endless and all that I have said could all be rubbish but then again...........

[Brother John]

Petter has been there way to long no one doubts that. Although with Petter im wondering if it is the car or him...not too sure.


Already 3 years I say that Petter is a over-estimated top driver!
For me he is more a clown which is paid too much. He hang out of its car on all SSS, acting like he is the champion, but no results!

[Buzz Lightyear]

This is fantasic news. put it this way, wheather it be 1s or 3s... Marcus was quicker... not slower. This news has a habit of begining exaggerated... but even 0.25s/km would be substanial.

There can be no excuses for existing drivers.. if they dont drive the car to the maximum while testing... why bother testing? a WRC car only works 100% efficiently when fully loaded... so what the point driving at 97%.

SWRT must be ruthless. Buy Solberg or Atkinson (or both) out of their contracts, and get Marcus in the car, if he wants it, and let Mikkelson pay the big euros to be the Boss' team mate. Sorted.

[Brother John]

This way you have to drive a Subaru. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-jAImScms

[koko0703]

Obviously the purpose of Petter's and Chris's test is different from the one for Marcus, so the time by itself doesn't give you much comparison between the Subaru regular drivers and Marcus. I found it more interesting that Marcus is testing with Subaru. OK, Marcus may be looking for part-time program for next year, but why Subaru? It seems M-Sports/Stobard is more logical choice for Marcus.

[Tomi]

Funny how you guys come up with explanations one funnier than the other why Bosse possible has been driving faster than the regular Subaru drivers, propably he was just helping Mikkelsen to check out the car. :)

[Woodeye]

I just wonder what are the excuses after Rally Norway? ;)

[alexlake]

This way you have to drive a Subaru. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs-jAImScms

That is soooooooo good!

[cali]

Funny how you guys come up with explanations one funnier than the other why Bosse possible has been driving faster than the regular Subaru drivers, propably he was just helping Mikkelsen to check out the car. :)
Tomi, but you also do not know conditions and the purpose of the test. What we know so far (hearsay) that Bosse was faster compared to SWRT drivers. But no head-to-head or rallysprint was held so these results are just numbers on the paper :)

But i believe that Bosse would not loose to SWRT regulars...

[Tomi]

Tomi, but you also do not know conditions and the purpose of the test. What we know so far (hearsay) that Bosse was faster compared to SWRT drivers. But no head-to-head or rallysprint was held so these results are just numbers on the paper :)

Thats partly true offcourse, thats what makes the excuses so funny, a meaningless test for everyone but Mikkelsen.

[Koppomsbo]

a meaningless test for everyone but Mikkelsen.

Great, tell that to all the sponsors who pays the bills...

[rx-guru]

Already 3 years I say that Petter is a over-estimated top driver!
For me he is more a clown which is paid too much. He hang out of its car on all SSS, acting like he is the champion, but no results!

Not so easy for a Swede to accept that Norwegians play leading roles in the WRC these days while Swedes do the walk-on parts, I guess…

[Tomi]

Great, tell that to all the sponsors who pays the bills...

So who payed the bill of Mikkelsens test if not prodrive?