WRC
The key to Fourmaux’s Acropolis podium bounce-back
Adrien Fourmaux says staying focused and calm in extreme conditions at EKO Acropolis Rally Greece was the key to delivering a much-needed podium and responding to growing pressure from Hyundai.
Fourmaux was eager to bounce back from a disappointing Rally Italia Sardegna, which had promised so much after he challenged for the lead before his rally unravelled with a puncture, followed by a couple of costly mistakes. The Frenchman admitted he had areas to improve, and after the event he sought help from a sports psychologist.
Facing increasing pressure from Hyundai to deliver a result, Fourmaux impressed in arguably the toughest conditions the WRC has witnessed in recent memory. Crews battled cockpit temperatures rising towards 70 degrees Celsius and rough, unforgiving gravel roads where a single mistake could prove fatal to one’s rally.
Fourmaux won three stages in Friday’s punishing heat to sit just three seconds behind rally leader and eventual winner, Hyundai team-mate Ott Tänak.
His victory hopes were derailed when he clipped a gravel bank on stage 10, damaging his right-rear suspension. A smart roadside repair got the car back to service, and unlike Sardinia, the error wasn’t followed by another. Fourmaux remained calm and focused, going on to deliver a clever drive that netted a comfortable third place – and his first podium since January’s Monte Carlo opener.
© Hyundai
When asked about his approach to the rally, he said:
“I was doing what I do normally. I was just trying to stay out of my frustration from Sardinia.
“After Portugal, when we had the technical issue when we were leading, and in Sardinia I had the puncture and I was quite down and I didn’t focus after that. Now I just decided that it doesn’t matter what happens in Greece – I will just try to stay focussed and forget what happened. This is what we did when we broke the suspension: we just stayed focussed and it was working.
“On Friday it was crazy with the temperatures inside the cockpit and for me it was the hottest event I have ever done.
“I was just trying to stay calm and cool and don’t be angry at any time, and it was working and paying off at the end. I think on Friday I could have pushed a bit more, but because of the heat the road conditions were really destroyed in some places. The key was to stay calm.”
© Hyundai
Reflecting on the podium achievement following a difficult run of events, Fourmaux admitted it was a relief to leave a rally with a strong points haul.
“It is a bit of a relief for sure because the pressure was going up with the team asking to deliver some results, and in this rally it was definitely a big challenge because we know that everything can go wrong – either a mistake or damage or puncture – so that was quite intense,” he added.
Fourmaux is now just two points behind Toyota’s Takamoto Katsuta in the battle for sixth in the championship standings.
