World rally champion team braces for 1996 season
World rally champion team braces for 1996 season
JAKARTA (JP): There is no real enemy but interest, a classic doctrine in politics says.
It proves to be true for a new pair of world rally champion team, Subaru's Colin McRae and Kenneth Eriksson, who last season locked horns bitterly but who have now joined forces under the same racing suit.
By all standards, one would not expect a peaceful compromise between world champion McRae and Asia Pacific champion Eriksson. All-blue Subaru team has formed its new line-up in a quest to retain its rally supremacy.
"We have never worked together, but I believe we can build up a much stronger team," Flying Scotsman McRae said in a media meeting yesterday.
McRae and Eriksson are touring five countries in the Far East, starting from Jan. 4, ahead of the world championship series which kicks off in the snowy Swedish Rally on Feb. 8 to Feb. 12.
The two drivers enjoyed only 12 hours of touring here yesterday. They are slated to return for the Indonesia Rally, the new inclusion and the third stage of the world championship series, in Medan, North Sumatra. McRae won the race last year.
New teamate
Eriksson, nicknamed the Iceman in reference to his homeland Sweden, agrees with his new teammate. "We have known each other for years out of the driving seats. This team looks very good," the 38-year-old Swede said. Eriksson signed for Subaru after six years with rival team Mitsubishi Ralliart.
Subaru released former world champion Carlos Sainz of Spain, who will don a Ford racing suit this season. The final and deciding RAC rally in November saw McRae power his way past teammate Sainz to his first world title, after a grueling race between them.
McRae, the first Briton and, at 27, the youngest driver to win the world rally championship, will lead Subaru's world campaign.
Eriksson will also take part in a full program of the world championship series for the first time, although Subaru prefers him to focus on his Asia Pacific title defense. Italian Pierro Liatti will accompany Eriksson in the Asia Pacific races.
"I have a very good chance of taking the world title, I think," Eriksson, renowned for his discipline and analytical driving, said. He missed four world events, but managed to finish third overall last year.
The Swede recollected a great memory of beating McRae in the Australian Rally last September.
Subaru team manager John Spiller claimed that the McRae- Eriksson tandem is his most formidable force which will bring the team another success this year. England's foremost motor sport magazine Autosport favored the new line-up to win the world title.
But McRae said he had some worries on his mind. "This season will be as hard as last year. It's always very difficult to defend a title," he said.
Even former crosser McRae listed his new teammate as one of his biggest hurdles. "Kenneth and I had several excellent battles last year. I'm sure he will be putting me under a lot of pressure this year," McRae said. (amd)