Argentina countdown: Fighting talk part one

Our first instalment of quotes from the WRC drivers ahead of Rally Argentina (08-11 May)

Mikko Hirvonen. Ford Fiesta RS. ‘Hoping for more than in Portugal’ 

“We were really happy with the result in Portugal, and we’ll be hoping for a bit more in Argentina. When everything is working well, we know that we have the car and the pace to be challenging at the top, and that is what we will be aiming for. It’s a tough event – even to be in the fight for the podium – but we will definitely be going all-out to do that. We want to be battling for the top positions. That is the minimum objective, but we also know that we will have to work hard to achieve it.”

Our first instalment of quotes from the WRC drivers ahead of Rally Argentina (08-11 May):

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R. ‘I would be happy with a podium’ “The rally suits my driving style, but is not easy. If you’re not careful, you can hit a large stone as soon as you push yourself to the limit – particularly on the second loop. As such, you always have to give yourself a little breathing space, in order to be able to react quickly if necessary. I would be very happy with a podium finish. We did not have the best of times in Portugal. The key now is not to make any more mistakes and perform as consistently as we did at the first three rallies of the year.”

Mads Ostberg. Citroen DS3.’The development has been positive’
“Argentina is in my top 5 favourite rallies. Our preparation has been perfect. Since the final day of Rally Mexico, the development has been very positive. Testing enabled me to confirm the progress we have made. I am working on my driving style in order to be more competitive. We have managed to achieve some good results with the engineers. It’s a long process, which isn’t going to work overnight, but the pace at which we are improving already is very promising. The goal is the same this year. This event is as tough as ever. We’ll need to be consistent. The aim is to come away with a good result. Depending on the conditions, we’ll see if we can push a bit more…”

Thierry Neuville. Hyundai i20. ‘You have to watch the speed’ 

“We tested in Portugal in March to prepare for Argentina and I think we are all set for the event. The rally is quite hard on both the cars and the drivers. There are a lot of tricky places with water splashes – where you have to watch the speed you carry – and a lot of hidden stones that can easily damage the car. Argentina is a special event thanks to the fans and the fantastic atmosphere they create out in the stages and in the Service Park – we get always great support there.”

Dani Sordo. Hyundai i20. ‘Grateful for the chance to compete’
“It is an event where we feel almost like at home. It’s a rally that I really like and where I had some good results in the past. I’m really grateful that the team gave me the chance to compete in Argentina after the good performance we had in Portugal. I intend to make the most of this opportunity to help the team in the development of the i20 WRC as we did in Portugal."