Drivers quote after SS19 "Sardegna 2" - Wolf Power Stage

DATE: June 4 2023 FLASH N°:19

DAY: 4

STAGE: SS19 Sardegna 2” Power Stage STAGE LENGTH: 7,79 KM

WEATHER: Rainy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Wet

Car #41 E. Cais - P. Tesinski (Skoda Fabia RS): ”It was so exciting that probably my lovely mother would be faster than me. We had a moment in braking where there was standing water and then I took it really very easy. It is so easy to make a mistake and finish the rally. I am very happy. Thanks to my team, to my partners, to my friends and to my family. I am really happy to be here”.

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): ”It has been a very difficult weekend for me and for my team.I worked all the time on the settings, but honestly we need to search for a solution for the next event. If it stays like that it is impossible to fight for the championship. I am here, it is not bad but so difficult weekend, like in Portugal”.

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”It is tough especially for the guys fighting behind us. There is a lot of water and we needed just to survive. The visibility was not good. I am happy because we are at the end of the rally. Very good Thursday and Friday, on Saturday it did not go as we would have liked. Today it is tricky in terms of tyre management. Probably we will be in the top 10 in WRC, which is our best result. There were some ups and downs but we are happy overall”.

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): ”Not really enjoyable. I had some aquaplaning on the tarmac but nothing serious. It was really challenging for us. Without the broken wheel we would have been quite OK. A disappointing weekend”.

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We were working very hard. I tried to keep Rossel behind me, I remember the last stage at the rally in Monza, when we were fighting for the championship and I lost all in one stage. That was the plan for the first time in this car. Thank you to my team, they worked very hard. It is not enough, we need to do more if we want to be in Top3 for example”.

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”[Adrian out]Wow, tricky conditions. Really difficult. The rain is coming and going all the time. Whoever is lucky with the rain will win the stage. Two times we were aquaplaning. We did the best of the situation, a clean stage. Not easy to stay on the road. Not a nice end to Adrien. He has done a fantastic weekend and he and the team have so many positives. They should be happy. If it is a win for us we are very happy, but again they did an amazing rally”.

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): [off the road]

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”I do not like to drive this one. It was very difficult to drive, aquaplaning everywhere also when there is no water there is a tick mud and no grip. Many surprises but we are here. Sorry for the team for yesterday, it was a stupid mistake but we had a good pace on Friday. I will try to focus for Kenya and push there. I have been karting, F3 and so on and with this rain you do not drive. Here you have to drive anyway, in rain, snow and thunderstorm that is why we like this”..

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): ”I do not think I have many chances [to win the Power Stage]. Seems like this year on gravel I am struggling. It is difficult to find speed and confidence. Let's see what comes next”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”Do not really care to be honest [time of Power Stage]. It is not what we wanted for the weekend. When bad luck starts to hit you, you can do what you want and it does not work. So you have to accept it and look forward”.

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It was so slippery, I felt pretty careful in some places and then the next minute it's just like a sledge . It is always like this in these conditions. We had to try. It was not such a good run but OK”. [rear spoiler broken]

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It was quite controlled to be honest. It did not feel fast. Now I was enjoying the rain and the mud with the proper tyres on the car and it is much more enjoyable. Good points. We were not the fastest starting first, but we did a clever run. We kept our pace, were patient and did not make mistakes and break the car. Big thanks to the team and we got good points”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”You need to accept these things. For sure it frustrates. That's how it is. Let's hope that Thierry finishes and we get 1-2 for the team which is very encouraging after Portugal and we are good to go for Kenya. [Trying to win in Kenya?]Depends who is behind”.

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "Obviously it was a challenging weekend. We came here with the belief we could fight for victory. The first day was very challenging and we lost a bit of time, got it back and lost again. Then yesterday was a big turnaround. It is quite nerve wracking to start a stage like this with slick tyres and you see others go out. We managed to do it. It is the first victory of the team this year, a one-two. The first of our new Team Principal. In our memory we are with Craig as well: we wanted that win in Croatia but we got it now".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS18 “Arzachena - Braniatoggiu 2"

DATE: June 4 2023 FLASH N°:18

DAY: 4

STAGE: SS18 “Arzachena - Braniatoggiu 2” STAGE LENGTH:15,22 KM

WEATHER: Overcast

ROAD CONDITIONS: Humid

Car #18 T. Katsuta - A. Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”Tyres look quite OK. The next one will have unknown weather. So it is hard to guess what will be going to happen. We will push to get some points”.

Car #8 O. Tänak - M. Järveoja (Ford Puma Rally1): ”The next is the only stage worth driving in on Sunday. For sure we need to push on that one”.

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”The car is good so, I have nothing interesting to tell you at the moment. The target of the day is coming in the next stage. It is not conservation but we are doing our best for the team”.

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): [retired after SS17]

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”It just the case of getting through now, saving everything for the Power Stage. Just a steady run through”.

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): ”All OK, we could have been a bit slower. The tyres should be quite OK. Let's see how the weather will be and what we do”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): ”Everything is good, everything works, no problems. The car feels really good. It is nice. It would be nice to keep a higher speed but it is not the target today”.

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "For me, it is not really important [to save tyres]. Just one more stage to go. We have two spares and our tyres are not great. We want to bring home the victory. We went all in and iIt paid off yesterday. We are gonna do a clean Power Stage and see in the end how many points take on the weekend".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): ”Pretty good actually. Really enjoyable, I had really good fun. We still want to win the rally so we need to be a bit careful but we had a good stage, it was nice in the car”.

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We are saving our tyres for the Power Stage. If it is possible, we will see. ”

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): ”All fine”.

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): ”We have a better feeling, but it is not easy to fight when you have an issue on the map of the booster. It is disappointing”

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): ”The feeling is not good. It is the same for all weekend. Not an easy stage this one, very fast sections. In the next one, we will see if I can take some points, but I think it is not possible. We will see. Let's go home”.

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS13 "Su Filigosu 2"

DATE: June 3 2023 FLASH N°: 13

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS13 “SU FILIGOSU 2” STAGE LENGTH: 19,57 km

WEATHER: Cloudy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Damp/Wet

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "We did not have pressure in the circuit. We managed to put the second fuel pump on and it was better. Nice stage. I tried to push a bit more but we lost a lot of time there". [power fading away in a uphill section then restarted]

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "We were nursing the car through. The final watersplash, there is no way to get a rally car through it. That is it" [problem at the water splash]

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "It is challenging. There is a lot of rain at a point and you cannot see more than 5 meters ahead. There is a proper challenge in the rain. It was a bit more rough than expected and struggling a bit with understeer but the car is OK, no drama".

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "We had very heavy rain in some sections, I do not know if it was the same for everybody. We are gonna see in the times, we did what we could. It felt quite OK, but with the rain you do not know. It is a bit more or a bit less and the difference in time can be huge".

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): [did not speak]

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "For sure the last 6km were horrible, the ruts were full of water and could not drive, we were just aquaplaning all the time. It was very bad".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): "I have an issue with the engine at the end, we have to fix it. Sorry we have to go".

Car #26 E.Lindholm - R.Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "That was an experience unlike the others. The beginning was fine. Last 3-4km we could not see much because the wipers could not keep the water away. Well, we enjoyed it".

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "In the end I could not do anything, all the ruts were full of water and it was aquaplaning everywhere. We tried to push in these conditions, but I expect it to be worse and worse for every car. We worked a bit against this rain".

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was tough, a lot of water in the last 6-7 kms there was a lot of standing water in the line. This was the first experience in these conditions. I was trying to stay out of the line to get more grip. It was tough".

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): "No problem, honestly the conditions are just crazy at the end. I do not know if it is the same for all the people but I am happy to have finished this stage".

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M. Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was difficult, a lot of standing water in the ruts. The time is not bad but I had to be a bit cautious".

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): "Super difficult, super rough. We are bottoming like crazy all the time. It was difficult. Crazy".

Thank you for reading!

Drivers quote after SS12 "Coiluna-Loelle 2"

DATE: June 3 2023 FLASH N°: 12

DAY: 3

STAGE: SS12 “COILUNA - LOELLE 2” STAGE LENGTH: 16,28 km

WEATHER: Overcast/rainy

ROAD CONDITIONS: Dry

Car #6 D. Sordo - C. Carrera (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "A little bit more dry conditions, I am sure it will clean a lot. I am happy, we made some changes in the car and I feel it much better. I took care of the tyres. If it rains, I prefer to have good tyres for later. It is quite agressive on the tyres this stage".

Car #33 E. Evans - S. Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "I could see Dani's lines struggling to stay in the ruts in places, It was fine for us. A bit dry for our tyres but we're obviously geared up for what's about to come."

Car #69 K. Rovanpera - J. Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): "[why two soft spares?]I think it is just to have a bit more tyres. We have to reuse the softs a lot so there are a lot of kms on the softs tyres. It is to have something fresh under the car. It is not easy with this tyre package".

Car #11 T. Neuville - M.Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "My tyres are not too bad, we are managing all weekend with only 12 tyres. My package still looks good. We have to see what the others do. We have nothing to lose, so we are gonna try to push and see if we can pass Lappi. With the weather and so on anything can happen".

Car #17 S. Ogier - V. Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1): [What happened at the water splash?]"I took it easy, but still the engine died. Sorry I have to go”.

Car #4 E. Lappi - J. Ferm (Hyundai i20 N Rally1): "It was an easy stage, the interesting ones are coming. Let's see what the weather will bring us. I am full on it. It does not look like that, but I am".

Car #27 A. Fourmaux - A.Coria (Ford Fiesta MKII Rally2): "It started to rain in the stage, it does not really disturb the stage, it is not enough. The next stages should be more wet. We had a clean stage. We made a gamble in terms of tyre choice. Let's see if it works. We are confident, we will see".

Car #26 E.Lindholm - R.Hamalainen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "I take the rain as a challenge. Even this one was feeling surprisingly slippery in some places. We will see, Erula-Tula in full rain will be a challenge but this is what we are here for. Looking forward to it".

Car #23 A.Mikkelsen - T.Eriksen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "We will keep the pressure at least. I went a bit straight at the watersplash and I lost a lot of speed. Quite rough conditions, it is easy to pick a puncture. To drive 19s faster it will be tough but we will keep the pressure".

Car #37 M.Marczyk - S.Gospodarczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): "It was a good run from our side. This is our pace. It was rough in some places, but like we expected. Now it will be more demanding as the next one is new and with a lot of downhills which is difficult for me and my pacenotes. Erula-Tula will be crucial. We are enjoying, this is nice".

Car #20 Y. Rossel - A. Dunand (Citroen C3 Rally2): If the grip is high the feeling is good. It is not possible to do more in these stages. I am here, I take the points and we will see".

Car #29 K. Kajetanowicz - M.Szczepaniak (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2): “I have no words, so big emotions. There is wide, narrow road, with sand, ruts, grip. I went straight in one junction and lost maybe 2s. I have no camera on, you have to believe me".

Car #25 T.Suninen - M.Markkula (Hyundai i20 Rally2): "It felt quite OK, it is a long way to go. So we cannot really care about these times".

Car #40 R. Virves - H. Magalhaes (Ford Fiesta Mk II): "The speed was OK, but the corner was too tight so nothing special".

Car #41 E. Cais - P. Tesinski (Skoda Fabia RS): "For sure, you are always having fun when you drive a car like this. This one was better than the previous one, but for sure there is a lot of space for improvement but I am happy".

Car #30 G. Munster - L. Louka (Ford Fiesta Mk II): "It is difficult. The first time in Sardinia, we are struggling a bit with the car but we are having fun and the stages are nice".

Car #39 L. Joona - T. Shemeikka (Skoda Fabia Evo): "On the second pass it is always fun. Now there was grip so it was nice to drive. I am not sure what to expect in the next stages, it will be rough maybe but we will try to survive".

Thank you for reading!

WRC drivers quote at the end of Day 2 at Rally Italia Sardegna

The words and impressions of the protagonists after the second day of the sixth round of the world championship.

Lappi: “I guess 75-80% of the stages were pretty ok, but in the last 20% there were surprises. Many brakings, many corners suddenly. It was a mix, you couldn’t fully commit, because you didn’t know what to expect. But yeah, we managed”.

Ogier: “We are where we want to be, in the fight for the win so that is the most important thing. The afternoon was not great for us, but actually, it was not really in the stage. In this sense, I went wrong. I had wrong information for the weather, wrong set-up, wrong tyre choice. Everything went wrong so this afternoon was a bit difficult to drive but I did a clean run, I’ve lost a little time but no drama”.

Neuville: “Everybody is using the hand brake in tricky conditions it gives you the opportunity to be just a bit slower on the engine but then use the speed to get the car sideways and go back on throttle again its a driving tecnick. The weather is going to make it challenging tomorrow as well anything can happen we are going to see many probably changes and different stage times for everybody today we were lucky to have similar conditions with a couple minutes gap and it can be different in other weather conditions, this afternoon we had good tyre strategy and it payed off. They are trying to give us better information but as you know the shower can come down 500 feet left or right so that is very hard to predict”.

Rovanpera: "Quite ok in the afternoon, the grip was better especially in the long stage of Monte Lerno. I tried to push in the mud no flat out but with the brain. Having one tyre less probably helped Hunday of course all the weight you can take off, and they had many soft they were expecting rain so should have been good for them. Tomorrow better road position we will try to improve and push and see what we can do. Almost satisfied at the end of today".

Thank you for reading!

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