Henning Solberg’s move from a World Rally Car to an R5 for Neste Rally Finland came as a surprise, but was it such a bad move? One driver who has been swapping from WRC to R5 cars during the 2016 season is Mads Ostberg. He has had a unique opportunity to compare the two types of car in action.
Mads Ostberg in action in the Fiesta World Rally Car this season.Ostberg: “I don’t have a lot of experience with the R5. I’ve done three rallies, one on snow and two on gravel in Norway and one tarmac rally as well. Â
“I think that the main difference is the engine power, which is quite noticeable. There is big difference on the power side, for sure. The balance and handling of the car is actually quite similar, so comparing the R5 Fiesta and the WRC Fiesta, it’s very very similar. Â
“It is not a big problem for me to jump between the cars. The brakes on the R5 are similar to the WRC, the same with suspension and differentials, it is very similar on the driving side so it’s not a big difference apart from gaining by the engine power. You are actually driving in the same way.”
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What differences do the five-speed and six-speed gearboxes make?
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Osberg: “Yes, of course, especially for me where my pacenotes system is based on the number of gears, it makes a difference, but it is not a big problem. Â
“I find myself struggling a big to find the right gear on the R5. I think that if I was driving normally I wouldn’t have those problems. Obviously jumping straight from the WRC car into the R5 and doing a rally without a test it was a bit of a struggle.”
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Do you think that there’s any particular rally where an R5 will be as quick as a WRC, other things being equal?
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Ostberg: :No I don’t think so. The WRC will always be faster.  I mean the engine performance is so different. Â
“When you have really tricky conditions, for example heavy rain on very muddy conditions, or like in Monte Carlo where you have full snow, it’s not such a big difference.”
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- Martin Holmes
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