a possible podium finish
What could have been a dream result for the LMT Rally Team crew of Andis Neiksans and Peteris Dzirkals turned into a nightmare when the engine of their Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX failed on a road section at the start of the second day of the 2009 Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Zero points instead of a possible podium place were the result for the team on the third round of the FIA Production car World Rally Championship.
“We started the first day very determined. We knew that driving safely would not bring us the result the team and our sponsors were looking for. So we pushed hard right from the start,” explains Neiksans. “At the end of first day we were 6th in P-WRC and our eyes were set on gaining some more positions on the following days. It was quite a big surprise how difficult the Portugal Rally was. We did not expect so many retirements.”
Unfortunately, the 23-year-old Latvian would become one of those retirements. The engine of their Mitsubishi failed on the read section before the first stage of the second day. “We did only three kilometres after the service area – then our engine let go. It was a big surprise because the engine was brand new and the settings were developed by one of the best professionals in the business. But things happen. That’s rallying.”
The AMP Motorsport mechanics (the company that runs the car for the LMT Rally Team) considered an impossible task for a while. As engine changes are prohibited, they considered rebuilding the engine in situ, by replacing the damaged cylinder head, con-rods and pistons and welding up the hole in the cylinder block. If this work had gone ahead and succeeded, it would have been unheard of. Unfortunately, the damage to the cylinder itself was too great and the planned mission-impossible never happened.
“I would like to thank all the team members for coming up with this crazy idea and giving us a hope that we had a slight chance of returning to competition under Superally regulations. We need the WRC experience and every stage kilometre is highly valuable,” adds co-driver Peteris Dzirkals. “If we look at the results, the podium place was what we could have achieved. But let’s not think about what could have been, let’s look at the future. We have improved our speed and that looks good for our next event –Rally Italy at the end of May.”
Zero points in Portugal means that Andis Neiksans has slipped from joint 3rd place in P-WRC to 6th position overall. The series is led by Portugal winner Armindo Araujo, followed by Patrik Sandell, Eywind Brynildsen, Martin Prokop and Nasser Al-Attiyah, with Neiksans the best-placed of the P-WRC newcomers.
