With the 2007 FIA World Rally Championship completed and the new season kicking off in Monte Carlo in January, we look at what the team and drivers are up to over the Christmas off-season.
The drivers and co-drivers all have time off before the first rally of 2008, but they are by no means free for the duration between Wales Rally GB and Rallye Monte Carlo. With an extensive testing programme planned for the winter, they'll be busy, and with work on the current car as well as the new variant, the same is true for the team.
Various tests are penned close by to the team's HQ in Banbury, Oxfordshire, where the cars will undergo shakedown runs. There is a pre-event test planned on conditions representative of Rallye Monte Carlo, as well as an outing ahead of Rally Sweden, the notoriously snowy and cold second round of the championship.
With a parallel development programme underway with both WRC versions, technicians and engineers will be busy working on the familiar current car as well as the entirely new shape that mimics Subaru's latest road car. In order to have the cars ready for next year, the pace of work doesn't abate for the dedicated crew.
Petter Solberg is attending the Bologna Motor Show, then taking a short break before attending the Race of Champions on 15-16 December as one half of Team Norway, alongside his brother Henning. He'll return home to spend time with his family.
Phil Mills is enjoying Christmas at home, free from the sight of airports or check-in lounges. After 32 individual visits throughout the year, the off-season brings a welcome respite from jetsetting, and time at home is more welcoming that ever.
Chris Atkinson is heading back to Australia for his time off, before his testing schedule recommences next year. He only gets to spend a couple of weeks back home each year, and most of this time is taken off over the Christmas period.
Both Petter and Chris in particular will focus on an increased programme of fitness and strength training before Monte Carlo, to ensure that they are in peak condition for the new season. It will involve cycling, running, gym-based strength work and, just as importantly, adequate rest and recovery. Just as the car undergoes continuous development during this time, so too must the drivers to be on top form from the first rally.
Stephane Prevot is equally welcoming of the downtime, spending time at home with his family having travelled back to Belgium after the season finale.
Similarly, Xevi Pons and Xavier Amigo travelled home to Spain after Rally GB where they will spend Christmas and New Year. Pons returns to his wife, and Amigo will spend time with his wife and son.
The off-season is also a time when talks with Subaru Japan and Subaru Tecnica International (STi) carry the team's spirit, commitment and determination into the new season.
