Q&A: Armindo
Araujo

But with Flodin not having nominated Rally de France as one of his scoring rounds, Araujo will be looking to take full advantage this weekend.

Here’s what Araujo had to say on the eve of Rallye de France:

We’re nearing the end of the season and the Championship’s within your grasp. How are you going to secure the trophy?

“At the moment, I’m just going to use the next two events to see what happens. One good result means a lot for me. If I can score well in France then I don’t have to attack fully in GB and I can try to control the field.”

It’s everyone’s first time in Alsace. How are you going to make the most of this?

“I think the thing which will decide the order of the field here is the weather. It’s very changeable and this will make Rallye de France harder than ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Whoever wins will need some luck when they choose their tyres. It’s very easy to make a mistake with all the mud and grass here too. I like the rain, but there will probably be showers and the weather will be inconsistent which is hard, but I am confident and I want a good result.”

With two rounds to go you’re lying in second after Flodin’s win in Japan with Paddon pushing both of you hard. How can you hold them at bay to retain your Championship title?

“It’s simple - I have to put in better times that Patrik and Hayden! Hayden is a confident driver and doesn’t normally make any big mistakes. Patrik is very fast and it will be a difficult fight with him in GB. So far this season we’ve finished every one of our rounds on the podium, I hope we can maintain this result and then I can win back the P-WRC title.”

What plans do you have in the pipeline for 2011 and how could a win in the P-WRC help this?

“At the moment, I don’t have any plans confirmed for next season. Of course, it will help me if I can win the P-WRC again, but it is hard for me to find budget. The car industry in Portugal is small compared to the countries some of the other drivers come from. For this reason, less cars are sold and there are no dominant brands with a lot of money to invest in motorsport. This makes it very hard to find a big enough budget for S-WRC or WRC, but I will always keep trying and I hope to be back again next year.”

The FIA World Council announced that two-wheel drive Group R cars will be eligible for the 2011 P-WRC. How do you think this will change World Rally for Production car drivers?

“I don’t think it’s a big change. I believe the four-wheel drives will still win the category, but the new regulations are a great opportunity for young drivers and they will also have the opportunity to show what they can do in two-wheel drive cars.”