Car 1, Ogier/Ingrassia
“It’s slippery and muddy, I was a little bit cautious. I don’t know how the stages are going to change throughout the day.”
Car 2, Latvala/Anttila
“It was very difficult to get the right rhythm no the stage. Sometimes you had good grip, sometimes it was very slippery. It was not a bad time, but for sure we can improve.”
Car 3, Meeke/Nagle
“I really enjoyed it actually. My notes are simplistic because we couldn’t see much of the recce. There are some patches of mud that can catch you. For sure if it was bone dry I’d need a lot of work on my notes.”
Car 4, Ostberg/Anderson
“I felt everyone was going to be quicker than me. It’s a very tricky stage. A lot of mud in different places. I think it’s difficult for everyone. It’s my first experience of mud in this car.”
Car 5, Hirvonen/Lehtinen
“It’s a good start. It’s tricky. The surface looks the same but the grip level is changing all the time. The line sometimes is so slippery, I try to go off the line and find some grip.”
Car 6, Evans/Barritt
“There have been some cuts, it’s not 100% precise. Need to calm it down a little bit. I need to neaten it up a little bit, otherwise it’s okay. It felt okay in there. But for my own personal development I’d like to clean it up.”
Car 7, Neuville/Gilsoul
“I wasn’t getting splits. I took it quite steady. When it’s slippery the car is slippery from the rear. Different setting from testing, it’s moving around too much. ”
Car 8, Hänninen/Tuominen
“We had a problem with the radio. It was difficult to get the rhythm, slippy in places.”
Car 9, Mikkelsen/ Markkula
“We drive as we should. Very safely, I want to get the confidence back from Mexico, Very slow driving, but that’s the way. Hopefully it won’t take too much time to get confident. It’s a hard rally.”
Car 10, Kubica/ Szczepaniak
“It’s not easy, it’s quite tricky. A lot dryer that I expected. It’s easier to have done this stage already last year, but I was driving differently then.”
Car 11, Tanak/Molder
“For me it was difficult in the beginning, it looked quite dry but it wasn’t. I felt more confident through the stage so I was pushing a bit more at the end.”
Car 12, Al Qassimi/ Patterson
“It was difficult, you cannot predict any corner so you have to be cautious. We had a small slide in the beginning. The car has a little more body roll in it.”
Car 16, Solberg/Minor
“I am a little bit rusty in my legs, but I’m happy! The car is perfect, the tyres are perfect. I got a bit tired through the stage, I’ve not driven the car since Sweden.”
Car 20, Sordo/Marti
“I don’t know what happened [rear right window was missing], this is the first news I’ve had about that! It’s really, really slippery. Not a lot of confidence. It’s a tough stage, it made me nervous.”
Car 21, Prokop/Tománek
“Very difficult, the conditions are changing often. In the beginning I was too long on the brakes sometimes, but it was better in the end. Not easy to find grip, a difficult stage.”
Car 32, Protasov/Cherepin
“It’s very fast, but the roads are very slippery for me.”
Car 35, Ketomaa/Lindstrom
“There was some dust in some places, but sometimes it like that. It’s quite tough but very enjoyable, it’s a good rally. I as was just taking it gently. My co-driver keeps telling me it’s a slow corner, don’t go flat out!”
Car 36, Barrable/Loudon
“We know what sort of approach this rally needs. We’re enjoying the rally.”
Car 37, Bertelli/Dotta
“Good enough.”
Car 38, Ahlin/Abrahamsen
“This was our shakedown. Not feeling too well, but just run through this one slow and get back into the rhythm.”
Car 39, Gorban/Korsia
“It was very, very difficult conditions. Sometimes very slippery. We just drove normally and everything was okay.”
Car 40, Al-Attiyah/Bernacchini
“I actually I’m not happy. We left service and got low oil pressure and low turbo speed. I checked the wires but I don’t know what happened. It might be an electric problem. It’s in my mind. The problem now is response in the engine.”
Car 41, Fuchs/ Mussano
“We changed the gearbox. I don’t know what happened. I’m happy with today, I think it’s a good time. I need to push a little more.”
Car 42, Tidemand/Floene
“It’s quite okay, I’m not used to it really. So we have to work on it. We enjoyed it, it was actually better than I thought.”
Car 43, Sousa/Magalhães
“We lost the intercom after kilometer 3 then I did the rest of the stage without the intercom.”
Car 44, Maurin/Klinger
“First gravel stage for two years, so I took it a bit easy to get used to the gravel driving style.”
Car 46, Al-Ketbi/Hepperle
“Good stage, quite dry. I kept a steady place.”
Car 47, Al-Kuwari/ Duffy
“Good stage, better than we expected.”
Car 48, Kangur/Ots
“Some problems with the engine, it’s difficult to go out of slow corners.”
Car 49, McCormack/ Moynhan
“It’s my first proper stage with the car, it’s the first time I drive it and learn it.”
Car 50, Vallario/Pascale
“No problem, but I did lose time.”
Car 53, Domzala/ Przemyslaw
“Very happy with the car.”
Car 54, Riedemann/ Vanneste
“We have started quite carefully and with the aim to go up with the pace slowly.”
Car 55, Giordano/Duval
“We have driven carefully because my first rally since last November.”
Car 57, Lefebvre/Dubois
“I have followed my strategy which is to go very carefully to save the car.”
Car 58, Taylor/Taylor
“It’s been okay, we need to change the notes in a few places. The rest was good.”
Car 60, Michel/Marie
“It is hard to find the right pace again. We will do it progressively.”
Car 61, Della Casa/ Pozzi
“More or less okay.”
Car 62, Fisher/Noble
“Quite a clean stage now that it’s quite dry. No big changes.”
Car 64, Cerny/ Kohout
“Pace notes not very good, I could not find the pace in the quick part.”
Car 65, Campedelli/ Fappani
“Not an easy stage because of the changing grip.”
Car 70, Kruuda/Jäveoja
“It’s very difficult right now, but it’s the first proper run through with the pace notes. I made a couple of mistakes because of the notes.”
Car 71, Moura/Costa
“Starting of with a steady pace”
Hyundai Motorsport has today announced Finnish driver Juho Hänninen as one of the team’s test drivers for 2013, ending weeks of speculation over the mystery man behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 WRC in May.
Hyundai Motorsport has been building up its new operation from scratch since the start of the year, establishing the team at a dedicated facility in Alzenau, Germany and recruiting specialists at every level of its organisation.
Test drivers are an integral part of the team’s development programme, requiring the necessary skills and experience to develop a competitive and reliable rally car in a short space of time.
Six months ahead of the debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo in January 2014, Hyundai Motorsport is in the process of carrying out an intensive test programme to evaluate and develop the i20 WRC on all terrains and conditions.
Hänninen won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2010 followed by the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship and the FIA European Rally Championship titles in 2011 and 2012 respectively. He will be a valuable asset for the team to prepare the assault to the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship.
Hyundai Motorsport will soon be in a position to announce a second test driver for the remainder of the 2013 test phase. 2014 drivers will be announced at the end of the year.
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “We’re very pleased to welcome Juho on board for our 2013 test programme. I’m sure his experience and background will contribute to the project and I’m happy with the job he’s done so far.
We have decided to work with different drivers with unique skills and capabilities this year, which will provide us with valuable feedback for 2014.
Hänninen said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Hyundai Motorsport testing programme for this year. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work closely to a manufacturer and to give my contribution to this great challenge.
The first run with the i20 WRC was quite positive for me; I’m very impressed with the work the team has done so far in such an incredibly short space of time. I feel comfortable with everyone in the team and I look forward to carry on working with them in the next six months.”