DATE: June 1 2024 FLASH N° 7

DAY: 2

STAGE: SS 7 “Tempio Pausania 1” STAGE LENGTH 12,03  KM

WEATHER: Sunny

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Puma Rally1): ”It was really really rutted and really deep [ruts], we are much faster than this morning but that is quite expected. It was much more rutted than expected but it is OK”

Car #13 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Puma Rally1): “It is beginning to be quite rutted in there. Very narrow and it is difficult to commit in this one when you have not done it before.  We improved quite a lot compared to the first pass, but still not the stage I like”

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It is very frustrating at the moment. Just not feeling at one with everything. We sort of knew this was gonna potentially happen. You always hope for more. How things were in Portugal were a tell-tale sign of what was to come but also some other stuff”

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “We had a good run but we have to be careful in there with the roughness. A lot of stones and a big impact on the dumper. I slowed a bit down in the very rough sections. Other than that, a little intercom issue when drinking everything got wet but it is working”.

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”I hit the front right on a right-hand corner, luckily no puncture. It is very tricky. There are a lot of bumps and very many surprises, not so enjoyable”

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “The stage is completely destroyed. The feeling is like the car does not have a dumper. It is hitting everywhere and you from one side to the other I have no control at all. Rocks everywhere, if you are lucky and don't damage anything you push like hell but there are a lot of rocks and the stage is really broken”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): “Now I had hard tyres in the front and in the first part I could not make them work at all. They were solid and with no bite. Lot of mistakes and it is very rough as well. I had no good feeling”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "In this one, I was very careful. It is very rough, I had to be. The plan is to get the lead back in the next one. It is always a big push".

Car #25 S. Pajari - E. Mälkönen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): “We just need to go as we feel the best. It is such a long rally. It is a lottery if you get a puncture or not. It does not make a difference if you take it carefully or not, so we need to keep the rhythm and take the pace”.

Car #40 P.L. Loubet - L. Pascaud (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “Very demanding I would say. I tried to be cautious in some places but the big one is now”

Car #31 J. Solans - R. Sanjuan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2): “Wow. It is amazing. There is a lot of bedrock and it easy to get a puncture. There are huge rocks on the road. It is a very rough stage”

Car #43 M. Bulacia - D. Vallejo (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): [out, crew OK]

Car #47 J. McErlean - J. Fulton (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “We got a puncture, not sure where there were a lot of hard hits. It is not ideal now. We will try to survive. We have enough tyres in the car” [front left off the rim]

Car #22 N. Gryazin – K. Aleksandrov (Citroen C3 Rally2): “The feeling was a bit more difficult because it started to be quite rough and I decided to be careful and not damage the car. There are a lot of big stones on the side, if I go sideways I break the car. I was trying to be more conservative. If the conditions are better in the next I will try to work more with the car”.

Car #41 T. Suninen - M. Markkula (Hyundai i20 N Rally2): “I feel the car is not too strong to push all the time. It would break down if I keep pushing”