Blast-off for WRC's summer of speed
WRC hits top gear in Poland
Al-Attiyah rejects Fiesta car switch
WRC 2 leader Nasser Al-Attiyah has decided against a car swap for 72nd LOTOS Rally Poland as he heads a mammoth 27-car entry for the seventh round of the championship.
He holds a three point lead after two wins from three outings and considered switching from his regular Ford Fiesta RRC to a R5 version, believing it could be better suited to the fast and sandy roads.
However, Al-Attiyah had no opportunity to test an R5 version due to other motorsport commitments and training for the 2016 Olympic Games, in which the 2012 skeet shooting bronze medallist hopes to emulate his success in Rio de Janeiro.
Second-placed Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari is absent and both Jari Ketomaa and Stéphane Lefebvre can leapfrog the Qatari. Both will aim to improve on their most recent outings as Ketomaa crashed his Fiesta R5 in Portugal and Lefebvre retired in Italy in Citroën’s DS 3 RRC.
Skoda’s new Fabia R5 made a big impression by claiming three podiums in Portugal and Italy. The Czech manufacturer fields two cars for Pontus Tidemand, fifth in the standings, and Esapekka Lappi, who won the rally in 2012. Armin Kremer drives a privately-entered version.
Karl Kruuda has shown great pace in his DS 3 R5 but has yet to open his points tally while other drivers capable of strong results include Nicolas Fuchs and Sander Parn (both Fiesta R5), Julien Maurin (Fiesta RRC), and the Peugeot 208 T16s of Bernardo Sousa and Martin Koči.
In the absence of Gianluca Linari, Alain Foulon and Max Rendina head the Production Cup entries within WRC 2.
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