Blast-off for WRC's summer of speed
WRC hits top gear in Poland
Fighting Talk: 72nd LOTOS Rally Poland
Our round-up of quotes from the WRC stars ahead of this week’s LOTOS 72nd Rally Poland (2 - 5 July).
Sébastien Ogier. Volkswagen Polo R: (above) “We had a very good strategy in Italy and varied the speed at the right time and in the right places. I’m not going to make any great changes to my way of driving: I want to win in Poland too. And to do that, you have to put your foot down.”
Hayden Paddon. Hyundai i20: “Yes, our good result in Sardinia gives us more confidence and people maybe expect more from us now, but we won’t get carried away. Our plan and approach remains the same, taking each event as it comes.”
Thierry Neuville. Hyundai i20: “We have good memories from last year’s Rally Poland where we finished in third place and took some fastest stage times as well. I really enjoy the fast, flowing nature of the stages.”
Ott Tänak. Ford Fiesta RS: “As the speeds are so high you need to have very precise notes that you are 100 per cent confident in. Any mistakes and they are very hard to correct. Any hesitation and you’ll lose speed and time.”
Kevin Abbring Hyundai i20: "I took a JWRC win in Poland in 2009; it’s a very fast, sandy rally with narrow bits in the forest. It’s my first gravel event in a WRC car and I’m still getting used to the car so it will be important to get the pace notes right and to build up a rhythm."
Jari-Matti Latvala. Volkswagen Polo R: “I still have a score to settle with Rally Poland. I was unlucky last year when I damaged my suspension. I was in second place in 2009 when I retired on the final stage. Naturally that was still on my mind last year, but that’s forgotten now. I won in Portugal and had a good pace at the Rally Italy. So I’m optimistic”
Kris Meeke. Citroen DS3: “I’m pleased to be back on a fast course. Even though 90% of the roads are new or altered this year, the character won’t have changed and I like this type of stage. We were competitive in the earlier rounds, especially when we won in Argentina, and the DS 3 WRC performs very well at high speed.”
Mads Østberg. Citroen DS3: “After several rough rallies in a row, we’ll be able to drive differently here. I have some excellent memories from our last few outings in Poland - we have always been quick on this surface.”
Andreas Mikkelsen. Volkswagen Polo R: “If you want to win the rally, you have to go at full speed, be confident and take certain risks. The streets are quite forgiving, but you can’t afford to lose respect for them and you need to be alert and prepared for anything."
Elfyn Evans. Ford Fiesta RS: “This is a really fast event which will be a bit of a shock to the system after a series of relatively slow rallies. It’s always a challenge getting back into the flow of high-speed rallying and there are many new stages to contend with this year.”
