Wednesday | 22 Oct 2014

Rally de España fighting talk: 2

A second round up of WRC driver quotes ahead of this week’s RallyRACC - Rally de España (23 – 26 October).

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R (above): “As long as I still have a chance I will keep on fighting.“
“I think it could be an exciting duel between Sébastien Ogier and me. We are still in with a chance of winning the World Championship. I have never been in this situation with two rallies to go. As long as I still have a chance I will keep on fighting. The surface is relatively hard on the gravel stages, but is covered by a fine layer of loose gravel. The road sweeper effect is particularly potent here. That could give me a slight advantage. On the other hand, the dust in the air could impair my vision. Whatever happens, the characteristics of the route suit me.”

Mads Ostberg, Citroen DS3: “I hope I can at least be in the top three after the first leg.”
“We learned a lot during the rounds in Germany and France. It’s up to us to make the most of the experience to keep moving in the right direction. I have fond memories of competing here, both in the dry and the wet. I hope that I can at least be in the top three after the first leg. After that, I’ll need to adjust quickly to rediscover my reflexes on tarmac. We’ll do a full reset overnight and wake up in ‘tarmac mode’. The key will be to use the new Michelin tyres really well and not overheat them.”

Kubica: "From what I remember, the gravel roads are very challenging"

Robert Kubica, Ford Fiesta RS: “We must adapt quickly to the loose surface.“
"Spain is a very untypical rally as we have to contend with two surfaces. The Tarmac roads are very nice and I am looking forward to them. From what I remember, the gravel roads are very challenging. In some places they are very fast but narrow with lots of stones next to the road. Most of the stages will be the same as last year. This year will be a bit more difficult however as we start on gravel, and the previous rally, and our pre-event test, were on Tarmac. Also, the Shakedown stage isn't representative of the whole event. Much of it is Tarmac so the first gravel kilometres will definitely not be easy and we must adapt quickly to driving on the loose surface.”

Elfyn Evans, Ford Fiesta RS: “We’ve shown some promising pace on asphalt this year.”
“We’ve not had a massive amount of luck at this rally, but it’s one that I enjoy and I hope that we can turn that around this week. The Spanish Tarmac is very different from what we have previously experienced in Germany and France. It’s a lot wider and smoother. We’ve shown some promising pace on asphalt this year and to be fair our speed on gravel hasn’t been bad either. We’ve shown some good pace on individual splits, but it would be good to see that translated over a full stage distance. I can do that, and challenge some of the more experienced guys on both surfaces, then I think it could be another good event for us.”

Al Qassimi: "I might need a bit of time to get my bearings.”

Khalid Al Qassimi, Citroen DS3: “I might need a bit of time to get my bearings.”
“I love the type of tarmac stages you get at Rally de España, but if the roads are wet, it can become an entirely different challenge. On the other hand, Friday’s leg isn‘t one of my favourites on gravel. I might need a bit of time to get my bearings.”

Hayden Paddon, Hyundai i20: “It’s a matter of getting a good feeling with the car."
“It’s great to return to a rally I’ve done a few times before and that I particularly enjoy. John and I will tackle the rally with our feet on the ground as it will be our first time on tarmac with the Hyundai i20 WRC so there’s a lot to learn and to take in but we’ve done a good test and preparations for the event and I think we’re up to the task. It’s a matter of getting a good feeling with the car - I think if I can do that quite quickly we should be able to get a good result.”

More News

Video