With:
Kris Meeke, Abu Dhabi Total World Rally TeamOtt Tanak, DMACK World Rally TeamThierry Neuville, Hyundai Motorsport Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Motorsport II
Q:Kris, we’ve seen you win in Portugal and Finland, what’s the approach here?KM:I didn’t set out to win in Portugal and Finland and I’ll take the same approach here. This is a different Rally GB than what we’ve come to expect, it’s a lot drier than normal. It’s going to be a challenge especially on Saturday when we do a full loop without changing tyres. There are a lot of complicated factors involved here and whoever makes the right choice can do something special. There are a lot of clever people involved here, but we’ll probably all end up on the same tyres! I think Ott can be a dark horse, we’ve seen his pace through the season – it’s going to be an interesting weekend.
Q:Do you like the changes to the route with some of the stages running in the opposite direction?KM:I like to see it mixed up bit. I’ve never done Myherin that way, but there were bits of Hafren that I recognised in that direction. Myherin was a bit tricky – we made our notes in the fog. The first stage tomorrow will be a bit of a wake-up call. Saturday’s stages looked particularly dry and aggressive for tyre wear. It’s different, usually you come to Rally GB, put your coat on and soft tyres on the car and off you go.
Q:You’ve talk about the need to iron out mistakes from Corsica and Spain – have you done that?KM:There were no big errors, I wanted to find the pace on gravel in Spain and, despite the wet weather, I think I did that. And now I feel we can do something good in Corsica in the future. Maybe on those events I was trying to do something right, but it tripped me up when I was trying to achieve that goal. But now I know we can do something on those rallies in the future.
Q:And what can you tell us with regards to the 2017 car and its performance level now?KM:I have no idea until we get up against the other guys, that’s the only marker we’ll have. At the moment we’re working with lots of unknowns. It is, for example, the first time I’ve been working with engineers on mapping a centre diff – I’ve never driven a car where I’ve had to do this before. It’s a challenge to work with engineers in every area. After the first three or four rallies next year, that’s when we’ll see where everything’s at.
Q:Ott, fastest at shakedown, how do you feel about this one?OT:I think it’s the kind of rally where we have a chance again. It’s nice to be in competition, we have taken some big steps with the DMACK guys this year. Maybe in some places it’s still not so easy to match the Michelin guys, but in some conditions we are on the level [playing field] and in some conditions we are able to beat them. Let’s see how it turns out this weekend. In the stages, it’s possible to go fast. It’ll be interesting to see how it works out.
Q:Do the conditions suit your tyres?OT:I have never done the rally on these tyres before, but I think whatever the event or conditions we still have a chance. Is it enough to win the rally? I don’t know.
Q:What’s the toughest aspect of this rally?OT:It’s quite funny to think the roads are drying at the moment – it makes the rally more difficult for tyre and car set-up. It’s the way it is. I’m sure if you get good grip from the stages, the roads will flow really nicely, they look in nice condition.
Q:What can you tell us about next year?OT:Hopefully we can win next year – and this weekend. Next year we need to carry on, last year was my first full season with a big team, this year I’ve come back and immediately in the second season there’s much more confidence. This year is a lot easier for me and I’m really looking forward to the next one. The feeling is improving, it’s about the things like getting used to the people and working together.
Q:Who will you win with next season?OT:With Raigo [Molder, co-driver]!
Q:In what car?OT:One with a steering wheel, four wheels and pedals!
Q:Thierry, there’s a huge couple of rallies coming up in your battle for second with Andreas [Mikkelsen]. How confident are you?TN:Very confident, yes, very confident we can be beat him. He must be confident as well. The last couple of rallies, we’ve had a lot of fights, it’s always been a fight with Hayden [Paddon], Dani [Sordo] and Andreas, it’s always a close one that’s decided on the last stages. We have to be confident and go for it, we’ll see if we are able to keep him behind.
Q:How important is it to you to be runner-up in the championship?TN:It’s quite good, but there’s no pressure on me to be vice-world champion, I’ve done it already.AM:So don’t need to do it again!TN:I want to do it again, when the world championship is gone this is the next best. The pressure is less, I was in the fight with Jari-Matti [for second] in 2013 and I was able to manage that. There is less pressure this time. I need to keep it on the road, stay smooth, clean and fast.
Q:Do you enjoy this rally?TN:I do enjoy this rally a lot. Fast roads, flowing and with a good natural character, even though the stages changed a bit – they’re wider with more cuts. It’s very enjoyable to drive here and we know this is the only place in the world where the second pass is going to be slower because the roads get more polished.
Q:Big battle this weekend, Andreas; have you got any fighting talk for us?AM:We are also very confident. Like Thierry said, we had many fantastic fights during the season. There are two rounds left, but we don’t have to think any differently – these rallies are just as important as any others. It’s very important to do well, we’ve done the preparation, that’s been perfect for this rally and for the next one we have to do the same. It’s very interesting to follow, we can’t make any mistakes – especially because when we look back behind us the other drivers are not so far back. It will be really fun, I have always enjoyed fighting with Thierry since the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) days. We have to be at our best, he will not give anything away.
Q:Did your crash in Spain knock your confidence?AM:These things happen, we did quite well and felt we were in control. I thought that corner was a different one from the first loop [of stages]. That made things a bit difficult to come here with no points safety margin. Actually, it’s a little bit better to fight and not defend. I like that much more.
Q:It’s 10 years since your first Rally GB, do you have fond memories of the rally?AM:Of course, it was a fantastic place to start in the sport – living in Ruthin and racing around. Ten years feels so fast! Hopefully I’ll do a better result than 10 years ago!
FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP
Present:Teemu Suninen, Team OrecaEsapekka Lappi, Škoda MotorsportOsian Pryce, Drive DMACK Trophy Team
Q:Teemu how confident are you feeling about winning the FIA WRC 2 Championship? TS:I really like the situation. We have done a really good season and we have pretty good points for the championship. This is not an easy rally. We need a good result. We will do our best.
Q:Do you feel the pressure?TS:I think the top three cars have pressure, they are fighting against me. They could win the world championship as well… of course I want to win and will do everything I can. I don’t feel the pressure.
Q:What’s the biggest challenge on this rally?TS:I think the rally is different compared to last year. It’s drier. The challenge will be to find the rhythm when you have some places dry then some wet and muddy. All the drivers will push a lot. I need to stay on the road.
Q:Does your result have an impact on next season?TS:At the moment I don’t know and it’s not the time to think about this. I will be back on this quest on Monday.
Q:Esapekka how do you feel? Up for it?EL: I hope so. Everything should be good. We have done the recce and the stages look really nice. It’s kind of similar to Finland, the driving style – you can keep the full throttle. As Teemu said, it’s quite dry, so the grip can be good, but there can still be some surprises. I know what I need to do, but I don’t know how to approach it, I’ve never been here [in this situation] before.
Q:You need maximum points, do you feel the pressure?EL:I should feel it, but maybe it’s better not to think about it. I prepare myself like this is a normal rally and a normal event.
Q:What will you do with tyres on Saturday, when there’s no tyre changes available?EL:It’s not a problem. Friday is the bigger challenge to keep the car in the right place and not break anything, there’s more mileage on Friday – I’m not worried about Saturday.
Q:What about next year? Anything you can share with us?EL:No.
Q:Osian congratulations on your success this season [in the DMACK Trophy], how does it feel to be competing at home?OP:It’s great. This year has given us more than I expected with the championship. It’s great to be coming home off the back of that. This is the first time I have competed in WRC 2 and it’s fantastic. It’s great experience for the future.
Q:We’re very close to home for your, does that give you an advantage?OP:These guys are a bit more match fit than me in these cars – I’ve been driving a one-litre Fiesta and it is two years since I drove a four-wheel drive car. I do have a bit of local knowledge, but I could have done with more seat time, but going out to work for a living has to come in to play and the budget is another issue!
Q:We saw great pace from you when your drove a Ford Fiesta R5 here in 2014. Does that give you confidence?OP:That was a complete dream, just as this is now. I’m approaching this event the same way I did that one: just go and enjoy it – the times were there then and I hope they will be this time.
Q:What’s your strategy?OP:Friday and Saturday are both going to be very difficult. Let’s see how it goes on Friday, I’ll try to get through cleanly and without any problems. It’s a case of finding our feet and getting some seat time, then having a bit of a push on home ground on Saturday.
FIA JUNIOR WRC/WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP
Present:Vincent DubertSimone Tempestini
Q:Vincent, you’re pushing for second in the Junior WRC here, how confident are you?VD:It’s my first time here, the others did this rally last year, so it’s a bit more complicated for me. I like the roads, they’re like Finland.
Q:You’ve got to give it a bit of a push…VD:Yes, we’re here to fight [Martin] Koci, it’ll be a difficult rally, but it’s going to be a good fight.
Q:Have you been happy with 2017?VD:Not at all the rallies. We have had a problem some times, but I’m here to fight for second, so it’s going to be a good result if I finish second and it would be a good way to thank Citroën and all of my team.
Q:What are your plans for 2017?VD:Right now nothing, but if I finish second it will help me. I’m going to try.
Q:Simone, you’re looking to add the WRC 3 crown to your Junior WRC title here…ST:WRC 3 is still open and we try to close it. It will be a hard rally. Our competitors will push hard to challenge us. A win can finish the championship [for sure for me] in second place. Now I see the shakedown, how is the grip? It looks not so slippery but it was more slippery than I expect. We have to see how it will be in the stages. For me this rally is really beautiful. I don’t know why for the last two years, but I had some bad luck, I hope for a good result this time.
Q:Does your Junior success give you more confidence here?ST:Every rally is a different story, so I start the rally with the mind at the beginning of the championship. We would like to win WRC 3, I’m sure we know we can have a good lead, but only at the finish will we know.
Q:Did you have any problems at shakedown?ST:We only did one lap, there was something wrong with the fuel pump. This is not a good thing, but it’s a good thing that it happens in shakedown – without service on Friday it’s important to have the car that’s working perfectly. Hope this will not happen in the rally.
