Transiberian Rally. Stage 1
 THE
TRANSIBERIAN RALLY KICKS OFF WITH THE TEAM REPSOL MITSUBISHI
RALLIART AMONG THE FAVOURITES
All three Montero Evolution of Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart
safely in top-six after short prologue
Following recent poor weather, competitors lining up for
the start of the 2008 "Rali Transiberico" in Portugal
were greeted by sunshine and temperatures of 25°C. This
afternoon saw Team Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart's Stéphane
Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret (France) lead away the 57-strong
field after an official ceremony in Mafra, 50km northwest
of Lisbon.
The French pair went straight into the event's first stage,
a 7.38km test through hilly military ground, which saw them
post the fourth fastest time. They finished less than two
seconds behind team-mates Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (France)
who were third in their Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution
MPR13.
Joan 'Nani' Roma/Lucas Cruz (Spain) claimed the sixth best
time with the diesel-engined Pajero/Montero Evolution MPR14.
The top-six are this evening separated by a little more than
11 seconds before the rally begins in earnest tomorrow (Thursday).
The programme of the second leg features two runs at a 207.49km
competitive loop near Castelo Branco.
Quotes
Stéphane Peterhansel >> 4th at 8.8 secs.
"Like everybody else, I was surprised by how little grip
there was on the stage which was covered by a top-coating
of loose gravel. Despite the rain of the past few days, the
conditions were quite dry and being first into the stage probably
wasn't an advantage.
We only dropped a few seconds, though, and running fourth
on the road tomorrow could well be a benefit. We’ re
also using a brand new BFGoodrich tyre [the 'All-Terrain']
for the first time. It has a new construction, a new pattern
and new dimensions, and we will see how it performs as the
event progresses."
Luc Alphand >> 3rd at 7.2 secs.
"It was the same prologue as in 2006 and 2007, so we
were familiar with today's stage. It was very slippery, however,
and there wasn't much grip. It was quite tricky in places
because we had a slight tendency to under-steer.
Tomorrow's long stage is also a repeat of a test used last
year. That will give us an overall feel for the terrain, but
there's no way we can remember everything. I just know that
it promises to be a long and tiring day, especially if the
weather continues to get hotter…"
"Nani" Roma >> 6th at 11.3 secs.
"Today's stage wasn't easy, that's for sure. It was very
tight and twisty, and I need to find the best way to drive
the new diesel-engine MPR14 which calls for a different driving
style compared to the MPR13.
The prologue wasn't long but it gave me a chance to see that
the new car clearly has potential and my time was actually
better than I thought. Tomorrow's stage will be longer and
will no doubt teach us a bit more…"
Results
Stage 1
1. AL ATTIYAH - THÖRNER (BMW) 06:04.1
2. BARBOSA - RAMALHO (PROTO DESSOUDE) at 03.2
3. ALPHAND - PICARD (REPSOL MITSUBISHI) at 07.2
4. PETERHANSEL - COTTRET (REPSOL MITSUBISHI) at 08.8
5. CAMPOS - BAPTISTA (BMW) at 09.7
6. ROMA - CRUZ SENRA (REPSOL MITSUBISHI) at 11.3
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