STEPHEN BRUNSDON
“Service crews have to be more precise in 2017”
The seasoned rallying follower will no doubt recall what things used to be like before the grand luxurious service parks to which we are now so accustomed.
The days of crews spending tiresome hours at the side of B-roads replacing gearboxes and engines where required were what really differentiated rallying from almost every other form of motorsport.
Alas, rallying has modernised, but that isn’t to say it has lost its roots. No, it has merely become vastly more demanding to reflect the professional age.
Last weekend, I was privileged enough to be immersed with the Abu Dhabi Total Citroen World Rally Team to see how today’s service differs from those of yesteryear.
Contrasting old service and new, you will see some similarities. Previously, crews had far more opportunities to operate on their cars wherever they saw fit – more often than not, at the side of public roads. The problem? Lack of resources. They were seldom able to carry enough spares in times of real mechanical emergency, often needing to make do with what little tools they had. Then there’s the safety aspect of changing parts on the side of a road at night…
Fast forward to today, Citroen boast copious amounts of spares between their four industrial-size trucks. Two of everything – from dampers at an eye-watering £10,500 to body composites to each tyre compound – for all three cars. The problem? Lack of time.
WRC regulations limit all teams to just 45 minutes of service at the end of each leg – with the clock ticking as soon as the car hits the first control point. If the car is held up in traffic on the road section, “tant pis pour eux” (so much for them) as they say.
I marvelled at Citroen’s level of surgical precision and meticulous preparation in the aftermath of Craig Breen reporting a leftfront puncture on the first full-day was eye-opening. Sensor chips in the Michelin tyres alerted Breen via the dashboard with the message relayed to Dominic, Citroen’s tyre guru in the truck at service.
From then, Dominic studiously analysed the data of when the tyre failed, where and the status of the other three simultaneously.
By the time Breen returned to service – having also slid into a ditch and entering Rally2 – the team had everything in place, ready to go; the mechanics astutely aware that, on this occasion, time is not their friend.
Yes it would be great to see crews fix cars old-school style at the side of the roads like they used to and maybe professionalism has eroded some of that nostalgia.
But watching Citroen get to work was like witnessing an F1 pitstop right before my eyes. It was awe-inspiring. No questions asked, everyone knew their role. They just got on with it and it was brilliant.