The post event inteview - The Jordan Rally

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Knowing the current car can't match the outright pace of the Ford or the Citroen, how do you motivate yourself before each rally?
We go to each rally with a target. We've gone with the same one for each of the rallies so far this year, and that's top five. That's the speed we've been on the stages, so we're generally fairly sure of getting in the top five overall. Some rallies have been better than others but we go there with the same target. In the past we set too high an expectation and then under achieved, and as a result you push harder and have accidents because you're trying to do things which are unrealistic. You need to be realistic when things aren't going well.

You're a big music fan, what do you listen to in the car to get yourself revved up before a stage?
I don't really have a favourite just now; the I-pod's on shuffle. But I don't use the music to get fired up - I use it more to relax, to let my mind feel free. I listen to music to chill out otherwise I think too much about the rally and overcomplicate things.

And what about the next rally in Sardinia - another podium?
It's unlikely. If we didn't have the good fortune of other people having problems in Jordan we'd probably have finished fifth, so that's a realistic aim. The fact that we've had four podiums doesn't mean we're going to do the same again. There are four drivers out there who are going well on gravel and if they all have a good rally it's going to be hard to beat them.

When will we see the new car?
I don't know yet. It's a team decision.

Has your recent form changed your relationship with Petter? No, it's quite similar to how it was last year. There's no drama. We just do our own thing and that's how it is. We still talk about stuff. He accepts that my driving style is a little bit different to his, sometimes it works in his favour and sometimes it works in mine.

Is your driving style the reason you're ahead of him this year?
No, I think basically he's been unlucky a few times. He had problems in Jordan, Argentina and Mexico, but all the time we were about in the same position - with either me or him in front. We're driving at a similar level; it's just that I've had a better run and some better reliability.

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