Fresh in from Spain, the team get straight to work on the Imprezas.

One of the problems of having two rallies in two weekends is the logistics of transporting and preparing the cars in time. The Subaru World Rally Team trucks departed Salou, Catalunya Sunday night to arrive in Corsica early Monday morning, with the route recces commencing the very next day.

When the car covers came off in the service park in the Port of Ajaccio, the cars still bore the dust and dirt from Spain. The mechanics’ first job was to prepare the cars for the coming rally, and to ensure everything is ready in time for shakedown on Thursday. Far from being a simple clean and oil check, the Impreza WRC2007s were stripped.

Even though the setup of the cars is very similar between here and Spain, the majority of the suspension components and drivetrain were replaced. After the asphalt stages last week, track control arms, hubs and every exposed element became sticky with the tar and oil from the newly-laid sealed surface, and so needed to be de-tarred; a process involving chemical cleaner and a lot of elbow grease!

Thoroughly cleaned and inspected for wear, the pieces of this blue and yellow jigsaw were carefully prepared for reassembly, the team confident that each will last the distance, safely performing to its maximum.

Chris Wattam, the team’s chief mechanic, said: “By taking the car back to its base with a thorough rebuild, we know exactly what to expect from it, and that we have maximised its reliability going into another event. As every component is used for a certain timeframe before being replaced, such rebuilds are always necessary between rallies.”

But they are usually done in the factory, and that’s why Corsica is different. With no time to return to base, all this work was done in the team’s service area with tools and components that are fully mobile. And all in another day’s work for the Subaru World Rally Team.