Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2012

pics from today:
rallysport.hu - Rally de Portugal 2012 - teszt/kvalifikáció

Bad news indeed for Abbring, rollcage seems to be damaged too..

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...81112608634555

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tolis

49 crews start tomorrow: http://www.rallydeportugal.pt/Handle....pdf&menuid=60

No Hen.Solberg, Nobre, Abbring, Aasen, Kruuda, Donnelly, Lemes, Haigh-Smith.

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What heppened to those Academy kids? The cheque to M-Sport got lost in the mail?

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...27143024_n.jpg

Seems weather is going to play Ford in hands:

According to yr.no and Faro (I know Faro is not where stages is but still...)

Thursday windy, no rain
Friday less windy and rain
Saturday rain.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...83597390_n.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZequeArgentina

Sorry, it is bluufor, not Blueford!! Please let us know our weather expectations, windguru says very little rain for thursday noight, and more on Friday. Time for that little rain is very important, please teach us your expert opinion on portugal rally weather

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Weather prediction is tricky. Lets say that there is slight possibility of light rain tomorrow evening and more during the night. So, Citroen did some risk limitation decision.
If the rain arrives, position nr 1 and 2 is good. If it does not arrive and dust halters lower starters, then position 1 and 2 are ok. If it does not rain and there is as much wind as forecasted, they are going to loose some time. So, that helps them to start earlier tomorrow. There might be pretty much rain overnight, some more during the Friday and that might make the roads very bad for the later runners... for those who were winners on Thursday.

So, I think that their strategy is not to win the rally on Thursday but to win it by Sunday.
Fords decision is another view. There will be plenty of wind tomorrow, so I assume the dust is no problem. They hope that watering the stages makes the road slippery for the first drivers and by the time they reach there, the road is clean and much more dry:-) But the happiness might be short-lived.

Hang on about the rain. I know every other forecaster is saying it will rain but that might not be the case. If it rains, it wont be strong rain. And this applys tomorrow and for other days aswell.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dimviii

i am very curious how the Portuguese organiser will manage to spread water in 3 different stages(10,2km,14,2km,11,1km) in a gravel which has months to rain.
They have to finish spread the water at least 1 hour before the first pass for safety reasons.This means that they have to start 2-3 hours before.
Also Ford boys with order 16-17th on road means that they will drive the stage about 2 hours after the last truck with water pass the stage.

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If they are smart, they will use salt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bluuford

Weather prediction is tricky. Lets say that there is slight possibility of light rain tomorrow evening and more during the night. So, Citroen did some risk limitation decision.
If the rain arrives, position nr 1 and 2 is good. If it does not arrive and dust halters lower starters, then position 1 and 2 are ok. If it does not rain and there is as much wind as forecasted, they are going to loose some time. So, that helps them to start earlier tomorrow. There might be pretty much rain overnight, some more during the Friday and that might make the roads very bad for the later runners... for those who were winners on Thursday.

So, I think that their strategy is not to win the rally on Thursday but to win it by Sunday.
Fords decision is another view. There will be plenty of wind tomorrow, so I assume the dust is no problem. They hope that watering the stages makes the road slippery for the first drivers and by the time they reach there, the road is clean and much more dry:-) But the happiness might be short-lived.

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Thanks!! Good info.