Car 1, Ogier/Ingrassia
“Not a bad stage. We have the splits from the guys behind and it doesn't seem to make a difference.”
Car 2, Latvala/Anttila
“The beginning looked quite good. I had a good feeling. Then at the midpoint it started to be very slippery. Some very slippy places that were not on the recce but some were wet and are dry now. One area where Kubica went off the road – no damage but just stuck. No people there – middle of nowhere.”
Car 4, Ostberg/Anderson
“It was quite OK. The first half was quite nice but then it was very muddy for 5-6 Km and this is where Ogier is taking a lot of time. The car was working well on the dry and damp but not so nice on the mud.”
Car 5, Hirvonen/Lehtinen
“We pushed hard but Seb took some time out of me. But there’s a long way to go so let’s see. ”
Car 6, Evans/Barritt
“Very difficult. Massive grip changes in there and nearly all of it is blind. We recced it in the worst conditions. With notes, don't think will be that good for me. I was cautious and hesitant all the time. Not enough grip to let you get away with mistakes.”
Car 7, Neuville/Gilsoul
“It is quite OK. I have 3 soft and 1 hard but I lose the rear so I must be careful. It could be better but I keep the pace. It was very tricky in the second half – very easy to make a mistake.”
Car 8, Hänninen/Tuominen
“We were in the dust a little but didn't lose too much time. This stage was very bad on the recce and I thought I might have bad notes but they were OK. Grip was changing a lot but the stage was nice and I was too cautious on the muddy parts. I need to be more aggressive.”
Car 9, Mikkelsen/ Markkula
“It was an OK stage for us. I lost the rhythm a little in the middle section but confidence is growing all the time. I am happy it is going in the right direction and we will continue improving through the day.”
Car 11, Tanak/Molder
“It was a really difficult stage. We did our best. It was difficult with the notes and I was not 100% confident. We did our best and it is OK.” [Broken anti-roll bar/mounting]
Car 12, Al Qassimi/ Patterson
“The end of the stage was slippy and very hard to drive – very difficult.”
Car 16, Solberg/Minor
“It wasn’t so good. I have to do some changes on the slower parts. I tried to raise the car a little and I lost some traction so we will try to fix it.”
Car 20, Sordo/Marti
“I am happy. It was very slippery and at the end I lost the grip at the rear of the car but OK. It was a difficult stage – slippery and at the end, the confidence was not so good.”
Car 21, Prokop/Tománek
“Really bad driving. I lost the rhythm and I was really bad. We lost a lot of time and I am really not happy with the driving. Lots of things together but between the corners was really bad – I was braking too much and waiting for the throttle.”
Car 35, Ketomaa/Lindstrom
“My co-driver is telling me to be slow in the slow corners. I just enjoyed it. It was a challenging stage but very enjoyable. We have a small issue with the rear brakes and they are still bothering me slightly – we lost them a little midway through but OK.”
Car 36, Barrable/Loudon
“It is so busy in there – so tight and twisty – no room for error. Hard work. We made conservative notes. There is a lot of mud still around so we were making sure not to make mistakes.”
Car 37, Bertelli/Dotta
“As I am not in WRC2 here, I am making a test for the next event where I will be nominated.”
Car 38, Ahlin/Abrahamsen
“No problems on the stage. No, we didn't have any problems with Bernardo’s dust. The first time for me in this car on gravel – it is so different from an R2 car. Very enjoyable. Now I have been able to eat some food, I am very happy with the day.”
Car 40, Al-Attiyah/Bernacchini
“We tried to finish this long stage. The notes were not very good from the recce. WE lost time to Jari but OK, I am happy.”
Car 42, Tidemand/Floene
“It is going better and better and we are learning the car. The potential is very good. We will do more testing for the next rally and we are really enjoying the car – you can really push. We will continue to do our best here.”
Car 43, Sousa/Magalhães
“Around 10Km, it feels like a driveshaft broke, so we are only front wheel-drive. That’s rallying.”
Car 44, Maurin/Klinger
“A good stage. We found it a little slippery so we had to stay on the road. I had a puncture 5Km in so I lost some time but not too much.”
Car 45, Aksa/Arena
“We decided to go for the hard tyres – we were hoping for the sun to come out. We had some light drizzle so we had the wrong tyres.”
Car 46, Al-Ketbi/Hepperle
“I really enjoyed that stage – it was long and difficult. It was good fun.”
Car 47, Al-Kuwari/ Duffy
“Very difficult stage – I was cruising for the finish line. I am not used to these conditions – very muddy and slippy braking points. I am happy to just get to the end of the stage.”
Car 56, Koci/ Kostka
“I totally lost the brakes. I have only the handbrake for the last few Km of the stage.”
Car 57, Lefebvre/Dubois
“I am discovering everything – the car, WRC and driving on gravel and I want to be at the finish.”
Car 62, Fisher/Noble
“The speed is Ok – I am on soft tyres. The beginning was dry so I was wondering if it was a mistake but then, on the muddy part, they worked very well.”
Car 65, Campedelli/ Fappani
“I am on the hard tyres so I was very careful on the muddy part, as I want to stay on the road.”
Car 70, Kruuda/Jäveoja
“It is hard [in S2000 car]. In the middle of the stage, I had an overheated rear differential so I need to go and cool it down.”
Car 76, Barros/Henriques
“This is the first time in my life that I drive more than 30Km on one stage. There were so many spectators that were pushing me. It is great fun to drive in front of such a crowd.”
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.”