Australia: A look at the logistics of the World Rally Championship
07th September 2011 - 11:50 clock
The Rally Australia is logistically challenging - Ashley Fowler cares at M-Sport to the transport and gives insights in the interview
Mikko Hirvonen
Without infrastructure and logistics would not work the World Rally Championship
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© Ford
(Motorsport Total.com) - This weekend, the rally in Australia's elite fighting for the victory and honor. End of August was the rally armada still in Germany and then has gone on the long journey. Apart from the time change, Australia is also logistically challenging. Ford has opted for the factory team also some customer cars. This is the infrastructure for the service park. Ashley Fowler is the coordinator for logistics at M-Sport and took care of transporting the material by air.
Question: "Ashley, can you tell us exactly what you're doing?"
Ashley Fowler.. "I am an engineer at M-Sport, but I am coordinating the security of air transportation and am responsible for ensuring that everything is transported to the overseas rallies, including this year, Mexico, Argentina and Australia, I mainly care about transportation goals, talk to the transport companies, oversee dangerous goods, weighing all things, and create lists of things that are sent. This is a complex process. If it is not done correctly, can cause serious errors. "
Question: "How it is transported?"
Fowler:.. "At the beginning of the year, seven containers left M-Sport and come back only in December in the factory are Therein nine recce cars, the infrastructure for the service park, consumer spare parts, hospitality tents and spare parts Container traveled . by boat for the first overseas race to Mexico from where it has gone to Argentina From Buenos Aires they were further shipped to South Africa -. even though they have there do not leave the ship - and then by sea to Singapore from where it came with one. other boat to Brisbane. "
"Actually it's funny that we are in full season anywhere in the world, our container. Our logistics department constantly monitors where our container."
Question: "Is anything shipped by air?"
Fowler. "Yes, we have built our race trucks and three AMP-boxes, which are sent by air AMP-boxes according to the standards for air transport, you have the correct dimensions so that they can be immediately used without modification... The boxes with spare parts and rally cars fly on the lower deck of a passenger aircraft from Airbus from London Heathrow via Singapore to Sydney. From there they are transported by road to Coffs Harbour.
"Every box is a metal seal with the documents. The seal is mounted on M-sport and is not touched until it arrives at the destination. Part of my responsibility is that the seal is not broken has."
"The Ford Focus RS WRC is smaller than the Ford Focus RS WRC. From a logistical point of view it is therefore somewhat easier. With the Focus, we were limited to Boeing 747 jets. Now we can send the cars three or four days later, because when we the aircraft have more opportunities. "
Question: "What is the relationship between air and sea freight?"
Fowler: "It's difficult to say because it depends on how many cars take to the overseas races, I would estimate that 85 percent by ship and the remaining 15 percent will be shipped by air.."
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Question: "What do you take with everything apart from the cars?"
Fowler: "That in turn depends on how many cars we have to bring to an event we have on the one hand, our shipping container with the recce cars and the infrastructure to Australia, we send three spare engines, but it varies from rally to rally.. how many spare parts are sent by air freight. "
Question: "Can we say with regard to air freight some of the weight?"
Fowler: "It is up to us how much weight we carry, we have for every event but a target we are trying to reach the limit that is three tons per Box So is our total weight at three boxes of nine tons each car.... including the pallet weighs 1.9 tons. "
Question: "What are the biggest difficulties in transport?"
Fowler: "I think this is the organization that is needed in the weeks before an overseas rally I send out to all departments of emails, so everyone says, what he would have gladly sent I try to do early on, we have one 5 star hotel in Australia particular area in our workshop, which is cordoned off. I need about a week until I all went through what sent must be, and make the lists and tie it all. I need to know, of course, precisely what must be sent. One must of course to follow the rules. This may be in the pits a dangerous commodity. "
"The Australian and New Zealand customs officers are very strict. We must be very vigilant, which is another difficulty. I have to for these rallies should be considered. All boxes must be disinfected, so that no grass, dirt or other things in it are. We can not take the risk that they will be stopped. That could have dramatic consequences for the rally. "
