Breakfast
Breakfast before we left the hotel this morning. I’m really looking forward to start the rally!
Headers
Peace Through Sport
Petter was today officially announced the first Global Ambassador for Peace Through Sport by HRH Prince Feisal. Prince Feisal initiated this project in 2007. Peace Through Sport will help youth-leaders and athletes to implement sport, for a better understanding between children in conflict-areas, regardless of their cultural background, religion or gender.
- I think Peace Through Sport is so, so important and I’m honoured to be an Ambassador for it, said Petter Solberg. “Sport is enjoyed by so many people across the world and we can see from the rallies how it brings people together. I fully support HRH Prince Feisal’s inspiring vision for Peace Through Sport around the world and I really hope that I can help the programme.
Shakedown – Rally Jordan
Dani Sordo (Citroën) were fastest on todays shakedown. Petter drove the 2,3km long stage 4 times and ended with 7th fastest time. “The car is OK, we do small adjustments along the way to find the best set-up for the weekend”, Petter said after his 4th run. Gigi Galli drove 10 times today, and was awarded with the 2nd fastest time.
Rally Jordan starts Friday morning at 0819.
Shakedown-times, Rally Jordan
1. Sordo 1:14.3
2. Galli 1:14.5
3. Hirvonen 1:14.5
4. Loeb 1:14.7
5. Latvala 1:14.8
6. Atkinson 1:14.8
7. P. Solberg 1:14.9
8. H. Solberg 1:15.6
Welcome dinner with Prince Feisal
This evening we were invited by Prince Feisal of Jordan to a welcome dinner. Prince Feisal has also taken initiative to start a project called “Peace through Sport”, and he asked me to be an ambassador for the project. And of course I accepted! And I’m quite honoured to be asked. “Peace through Sport” is supported by both the UN and IOC. I will try to tell you more about it later.
During the evening we also got to know Jordanian folk-music, and we were dressed up in Jordanian clothes. It was quite comfortable, actually – must be good to wear in this kind of heat.
PetterS
Recce – day 2
It’s time for lunch, and the team has set up a nice place on a parking lot to make sure we can eat our lunch away from the sun. While I’m waiting for the food, I’m checking my mobile.
At the table together with Phil, Chris and Stephane. Keen Rees, our team-coordinator, gives us info about the program for the rest of the day.
A Subaru pit-stop along the highway in Jordan.
Chinese Restaurant
When a long and warm day with recce and training is over, dinner with friends is a good thing to do. Here we are at a Chinese Restaurant, enjoying a fabulous meal. Early night, and then another recce-day tomorrow.
Phils Corner
Well – here we are in Jordan, enjoying the sun and quite happy about the recce we have done today. I was so disappointed after the bad luck in Argentina, but two days with shooting in the Cordoba area after the rally, helped a lot.
I really like it here in Jordan and are looking forward to start the rally. I’m also hoping to find the time to catch up with some old friends from the time when I used to co-drive for HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Al-Hussein, who since then has become the King of Jordan. I have also been co-driving with Mohammad Bin Suleyam, and in 1994 we won Rally Jordan.
With my earlier success in Jordan in mind, I’m hoping for a good result in the 2008 Jordan Rally!
Regards,
Phil
Hello from the Dead Sea
_1.JPG "Jordan Recce, photo Morten Buer")
We arrived Jordan yesterday, and today and tomorrow is recce-days. Argentina is bygones and we are really excited to start the rally here on Friday morning. It’s really hot here, the shadow temperature is 30 degrees Celsius. Having lunch in the service-tent without air conditioning was a really hot experience. Maybe I will go for a swim in the Dead Sea later tonight. We have done the long Sunday-stage today, and compared to last year, the surface is a lot more hardpacked.
First WRC-event in the Middle East – get ready for Jordan Rally!
It’s rally-week again, and for the first time there will be a WRC-event in the Middle East. Jordan is hosting the rally and Rally HQ is based by the banks of the Dead Sea – 408 mtrs below sealevel. The surface is hard-packed gravel and the stages are run trough the desert surrounding the Dead Sea. Stages are expected to be tricky with lot of crests. They are wide, but yet it is difficult to read the surface and know how much to push.
It is the first time for a WRC-event, but not the first time in Jordan for Solberg and Mills. Both did the recce there in May 2007, and Phil also won the 1994 Rally of Jordan together with Mohammed Bin Sulayem.
55 cars will contest the 22 stages over three days. Most of the stages are quite short going from 9k’s to 20k’s, but the real challenge will be on the final day, when the rally concludes with the 41 kilometres long Jordan River Stage.
At the servicepark
Have you ever wondered what Petter’s technicians does when Petter and the car is out on the stages? Do they go for a swim or watch a good movie? None of it, working for SWRT is hard work from sunrise to sunset, all year. But I’ve heard they really enjoy what they do. And I’ve learned that practical jokes goes hand by hand with high working moral, and they care a lot for each other, and they might even invite you in for a cup of tea!
During an event the team and the technicians are underlined strict rules set by the FIA. Every service is scheduled beforehand, and you don’t clock in too early or too late. They start with a 10 minutes service each morning, and continue with one or two 30 minutes services during the day. They are only allowed with 6 technicians to work on the car at the same time, and all of them need to have a special arm band showing that they are allowed to touch the car. Without the arm band you are not allowed to do anything with the car, not even putting a bottle of drinking water inside. But you can remove your arm band and give it to another technician, and then he or she is allowed to work on the car – and not you. At the end of each day they have Flexi Service. Now the teams have 45 minutes to work on the car, and they can decide at what time they will do that, as long as the car is in Parc Ferme in time. During Flexi service they can also choose to put all twelve technicians to work on one car at the time.
Петтер Сольберг... http://t.co/BvWKosU6 #Все_про_Авто
RT "@damonf1: WRC Petter Solberg: Suecia y México serán determinantes: http://t.co/PKA2VVuH"
RT @damonf1: WRC Petter Solberg: Suecia y México serán determinantes: http://t.co/1f3b6OfL
WRC Petter Solberg: Suecia y México serán determinantes: http://t.co/1f3b6OfL
RT @starpainted: @Ingrridt Your English really isn't that bad. It could always be worse. What if your English was similar to Petter Solberg's. Ah, the shame.
#ff @kblock43 @Petter_Solberg @OfficialWRC @FordWRC @RallySportLive @KevinSchwantz
@Ingrridt Your English really isn't that bad. It could always be worse. What if your English was similar to Petter Solberg's. Ah, the shame.
RT @rallyfunjapan: #wrc #ff #FORD @Officialferm @StobartWRC @FordWRC @oogie26 @WRCgerardquinn @DennisKuipers1 @Petter_Solberg
Dei som syns Petter Solberg er elendig i engelsk, Erling Sundal er jaggu meg heilt der oppe, han òg.. #Rema1000
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