François Duval and co-driver Denis Giraudet will join the Stobart M-Sport Ford World Rally Team for the ADAC Rallye Deutschland next week.
Duval, an experienced tarmac driver, has contested Rallye Deutschland every year since its inception to the FIA World Rally Championship in 2002. The 29-year-old Belgian driver has had three second place finishes in 2004, 2005 and in 2007; where he finished just 20 seconds behind the leader. His last outing at the Trier-based event was with the Stobart M-Sport Ford team in 2008 when he finished third overall.
Joining Duval as the other nominated points scorer in Germany are regular Stobart M-Sport crew members Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin. The British duo will be looking to improve on their last performance at the event in 2008 when they finished twelfth overall.
Wilson and Martin have been preparing hard for the second asphalt round of the season by undergoing testing in the south of France last week. They finished the first asphalt round of the season, Rally Bulgaria, ninth overall so will be keen to improve their performance in the Ford Focus RS WRC this time round. Henning Solberg/Ilka Minor will also be entered under the Stobart M-Sport Ford banner but will be back behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta Super 2000 for this year’s Rallye Deutschland. The Norwegian driver will not be nominated to score any manufacturer points but will return to drive the Ford Focus RS WRC at Rally Japan in September. Event Summary
Rallye Deutschland was first included in the WRC in 2002 and returns in 2010 after a year’s absence in accordance with the FIA event rotation system. The fast-paced event comprises of 352.89 kilometres of competitive stage distance and will kick off on Thursday 18 August with a ceremonial start at the Porta Nigra - the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rallye Deutschland will be the second asphalt rally of the 2010 season and the three-day event will be held in Germany’s wine-producing Mosel region which is close to the historic city of Trier in north-west Germany. Rallye Deutschland is the first of two rallies this year to be eligible for all three WRC support championships: the J-WRC, P-WRC and S-WRC. Each day of Rallye Deutschland will provide something different for the WRC drivers. Friday consists of six stages totaling 134 km located east of Trier. The stages are made up of narrow and dirty vineyard access roads which feature a variety of fast straights and tight hairpin corners. Saturday’s stages comprise of eight stages totaling a whopping 185.94 km and includes two new stages, Hermeskeil / Gusenburgh 2 (SS7 and SS11). Saturday’s stages also include a repeat loop of the monster 48 km Arena Panzerplatte stage over Baumholder (SS10 and SS14). The stages are based south-east of Rally HQ and the majority are held on rough concrete roads of the Baumholder military ranges. The final day features five stages totaling 85km including the ‘Circus Maximus’ Super Special Stage (SS19) that runs right through the heart of Trier’s old city. Redacteur: PB Stobart M-Sport Rallyteam | Foto's Archief Hein Arns/Jo Pijpops
