Marcus Grönholm kommer til start i Rally Portugal i en Subaru Impreza WRC S14 med support fra Prodrive.
In addition to the best drivers in the world competing in all three categories of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC, J-WRC and P-WRC), the 2009 edition of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal (2-5 April) will have an additional point of interest: former world champion Marcus Grönholm will be back in rallying at the world level, making his first appearance at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza, a WRC car the Finn has never driven.
Marcus Grönholm, winner of 30 World Championship events, competed in the last two editions of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, driving a Ford Focus WRC on both occasions: in 2007 as a Ford works driver and in 2008 driving the event safety car, car 0.
“It will be fun to return [to the WRC], even in an ad-hoc way, in a car that I don’t know at all and after a year where I competed in some rallycross events’” said Grönholm. “It will be nice, as there was a chance of driving for Subaru just before the manufacturer decided to retire.”
The Finn is quite clear about his expectations: “I will not start aiming for the win, as I want to compare my speed with the regular WRC boys over the first few stages. The important thing is to feel confidence and pleasure, coming back to an event that I enjoy very much and know the stages quite well.”
Grönholm will be driving a latest-specification Subaru Impreza WRC2008, prepared and run by Prodrive and will be co driven, as always, by Timo Rautiainen.
“Of course I will test in the Impreza before the rally, not only to try to understand how it works but also, if possible, to adapt it to my driving style. But most importantly, it will be a pleasure to come back to the WRC in Portugal,” concluded the former world champion.
Kilde: rallydeportugal.pt