| FIA RALLY NEWS
COMING EVENT - 73rd Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo (21-23 January 2005 1st round out of 16 in the 2005 FIA World Rally Championship, 1st round out of eight in the 2005 FIA Junior World Rally Championship FIA RALLY NEWS
Media Press Conference Present: Interviewer Alexandre Bengué Interviewer Gilles Panizzi Interviewer Alexandre Bengué Interviewer Gilles Panizzi Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Markko Märtin Interviewer Markko Märtin Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Toni Gardemeister. Interviewer Markko Märtin Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Markko Märtin Interviewer Markko Märtin Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Stéphane Sarrazin Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Stéphane Sarrazin Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Stéphane Sarrazin Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Stéphane Sarrazin Interviewer Stéphane Sarrazin Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Stéphane Sarrazin Interviewer Journalist Sébastien Loeb Journalist Stéphane Sarrazin Journalist Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Leading positions after the first day of the Monte Carlo Rally: 1. Sebastien Loeb (Fra) Citroen one hour 18 minutes and 46.9 seconds Super 1600 positions after Leg 1: Driver's comments after Leg 1 Sebastien Loeb [Citroen]: "Everything went well. The only tiny incident was in SS3 when the engine stalled after a spin on snow thrown onto the road by spectators. On the day's final stage, I concentrated on managing my tyres, notably in the hairpins. Thanks to that, I was able to benefit from super tyres all the way to the flag which allowed me to finish the stage strongly." Francois Duval [Citroen]: "I couldn't really wish for better than second this evening. I wasn't necessarily expecting to figure so well so soon in this rally. We didn't know how fast our rivals were going to be and I also stalled after spinning at the very same place as Seb - for the same reason. My brakes went off slightly too in SS3, but that was quickly resolved and I was able to tackle SS4 without any problems." Marcus Gronholm [Peugeot]: "I started off the first stage carefully this morning, which was tricky with about one kilometre of ice after the Col de la Sinne. On the second stage, which was almost entirely dry, I was able to push and I'm delighted to have set the fastest time. On the following stage, which was repeated as SS4, we were quite careful. There is no point in pushing too hard at this early stage." Petter Solberg [Subaru]: "Fourth overall is good but obviously we've had a pretty tough day out there. The brakes gave us some problems, especially early on, and although the situation improved at the end of the day we lost quite a bit of time. I've always found Monte Carlo a hard event, and so far this one's been no exception, but a podium finish is still very much possible." Toni Gardemeister [Ford]: "I drove quite slowly on the opening test but that was my plan.
There was about 1.5km of snow and I wasn't prepared to take any risks. I
drove faster on the second stage but was braking too early because I
didn't have 100 per cent confidence. "It [SS3 and SS4] was a really
challenging stage and a nice one to drive. I'm upset to have lost time
tonight [following SS4] because I don't know why. I thought I was pushing
harder, but the time was slower. "Overall, the day has gone well.
I've listened carefully to my pace notes and adjusted my speed accordingly.
In the places where my safety crew marked ice, then I really slowed down.
They have done a great job and all the tricky places were marked. Maybe I
drove too carefully sometimes. I've enjoyed driving the Focus and I like
it a lot. It's a difficult rally and not an easy event on which to drive a
new car. Tomorrow I will step up the pace a little. " "The opening stage was very tricky and narrow coming downhill
after the Col. I found it quite difficult to place the car, particularly
as I am not yet quite used to the width of the 307 WRC! My car felt
unstable towards the end of the following stage, which was probably down
to the tyre choice we made in the morning. On the third stage I lost a bit
of time after stalling on a tight right-hand hairpin bend. I still need to
familiarise myself more with my Peugeot in order to get the best out of it!" "Generally I have to say I am happy. It's not possible to compare
the car this year with the one I drove last year. It is completely
different and I think we are now at a very good level; we just have to
sort a few small problems. We have had some trouble with the
semi-automatic gear-shift today and I've had to switch to the manual
system at times. The problem with the handbrake was frustrating in the
last stage; half-way through it went and there was a sequence of maybe 20
or 30 hairpins where we obviously lost time. If I can get a clean run, I
feel confident we can make some good times tomorrow." "Overall it's been a good first day with the team, I'm enjoying
the car but I'm not too happy with ninth place, I could have been higher.
We've had a few small problems like a poor tyre choice on the first stage,
the brake fade and a half-spin on the last test, but things are improving
a lot already and I'm hoping to carry on learning tomorrow." "It was a difficult morning. My times weren't so good but that
wasn't a surprise because I drove carefully. Everything was new to me. I
tried harder on the final stage and I drove more gently, but better.
That's how I think I have to drive this car. It feels nice to drive and we
made good tyre choices throughout the day. We'll push harder tomorrow, but
only one step harder. I don't want to attack and make a mistake because my
aim is to ensure that I finish and learn as much about the car as I can." "Everything was fine for us, but yes, for sure I am being more
careful than normal in every single corner. This is not one hundred
percent because our goal is to finish, but I am learning and gaining
confidence every kilometre and this is what is important. The feeling is
good at this stage and everything is going to our plan. There is
definitely good potential and I think we can make some progress quite
quickly. Apart from choosing tyres that were too soft this morning, the
Pirellis have been working well and I'm getting used to them." "Today has been a learning day for Caroline and me. I made a good
start but then had some problems that were partly technical and partly
because I need more time to get used to the car. I have deliberately not
set myself performance targets for this rally and my wish is to learn as
much as I can and build a platform for the future." "This is not the event where you want to have a problem with the throttle so I was quite relieved to get through the first two stages with nothing more serious than some lost time. After that the car worked OK although I made a mistake for the third stage by setting the dampers too hard and it made the car quite nervous." Leading positions after the second day of the Monte Carlo Rally: Overall times after SS9 / Leg 2 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 2hour 50mins 34.8secs Overall JWRC after SS9 / Leg 2 1. Kosti Katajamaki Suzuki Ignis 3hours 05mins 54.5secs Driver's comments after Leg 2 Sebastien Loeb [Citroen]: "I pushed in the final stage without taking any risks, especially
through the trickier portions. It seems I pulled out a gap at the end of
the stage, in the narrow portion near Les Sausses which was really very
slippery. I am generally pleased with my day, I felt very comfortable with
the car and I made three good tyre choices. That said, like the team, I
share Francois' disappointment. The team has done a fantastic job and I
really want to obtain a good result for them." "On the first seven kilometres of the opening stage the road was
very icy, so I drove carefully. We've had a good day today although it has
been extremely tricky with the various incidents that interrupted the leg:
it was actually quite boring for us. But I am still very pleased to be in
second place, which is my best-ever performance on the Monte Carlo Rally.
My plan for tomorrow is just to keep going at this pace and finish on the
podium. That would be a good way to start the year!" "I could have driven faster this morning but I kept a good speed and stayed safe. I've tried not to think about the battles with Grönholm in front and Solberg behind, preferring to drive at my own pace. My confidence has been good but I just don't know the limits yet. Sometimes I've been at maximum speed, but not everywhere, and I need to learn a lot more before I can drive flat out everywhere. "It has been a good day and I'm becoming more comfortable with the
car all the time. I'm learning from my mistakes and the car feels easy to
drive. Tomorrow I'll try hard to keep Solberg behind me but it will not be
easy. He has a lot more experience of his car than I do of mine." "Well, today has been much better and I'm quite pleased actually
with the performance. The car has been very good to drive on the stages,
and the harder compound tyres have suited my driving very well. Loeb is a
long way away, but we're getting closer to the people in front, so we will
have to see what we can do tomorrow. It's going to be a very interesting
last day I think, a good battle with Gardemeister and Panizzi, I'm looking
forward to it." "I said yesterday that if we get a clean run, we can prove that
Mitsubishi is back! I am so happy; that result was so necessary for
everyone. Before our fastest time I was very content to be repeating our
fourth fastest time; that was great and it really proved something. To
have then achieved what we did this afternoon was something special for
the team and I am more and more confident. I love driving in the dark too.
It reminds me of Monte-Carlo rallies 10 years ago; I get a big adrenaline
rush! Tomorrow we will be driving to the maximum again and hopefully we
can catch Petter." "I learnt a lot about the car and the tyres today but there is
still a long way to go before I am completely comfortable. I was not
entirely sure about my tyre choice in the morning, and in the afternoon I
think my suspension set-up was too hard, as the car was very difficult to
drive over the crests on SS9. I still need to familiarise myself with the
dimensions of the 307WRC, so I thought that the best tactic was to drive
safely in order to make sure of reaching the end of a tricky day." "We have had quite an okay day, a few small problems but nothing
major. At the beginning of the last stage the car got away from me on some
gravel in a corner and we went wide and hit a wall, just damaging the
back-end. After that, I wasn't prepared to take any risks in the darkness.
I'm learning a lot and looking to the future; I will bring the car to the
finish tomorrow and maybe a result will be there too." Stephane Sarrazin [Subaru]: [retired in SS6 - went off the road] "I'm disappointed because I had a good feeling with car, I was
driving well and then a small mistake had such a big effect. I'm more
sorry for the team than myself, because it's my first race and it could
have been possible to get points. I'm lucky to have the re-start system,
and tomorrow I will concentrate on learning more about my car and the set
up to improve myself. Of course it's still very new, so I'm not pushing at
100 per cent just yet, but I want to be fast and the target is to push for
improvement. We saw a good split after a few stages today, and I'm hoping
to do the same tomorrow." "I was going quite quickly, but not maximum attack. There was a
bumpy braking zone and the car bottomed on the sump guard. I was unable to
turn in as I wanted but I tried. The car went sideways and hit a pole on
the right-hand side. I am disappointed for the team, but I'm also pleased
that Stéphane is OK!" "The accident happened at a hairpin right near the end of the
stage. We hit a stone wall on the inside of the corner and the car rolled
before dropping two or three metres down over the edge of the road. I am
fine but Armin hurt his left shoulder and went to hospital for
precautionary checks." "I made some small changes to stiffen the suspension this morning
and the car was immediately much better balanced than yesterday. I could
be really confident on the dry roads and that is why I was able to be so
much quicker. We had some good luck because on SS6 I got two punctures but
thanks to Michelin's ATS mousse I was still able to score my first two
scratch times at WRC level." "Everything felt much better this morning. I felt much happier than yesterday and had more confidence. The roads were quite slippery in places. There were constant changes in surface from wet and slippery sections to dry and abrasive asphalt, and that was the most difficult part. "I'm disappointed to have stopped this evening but unfortunately there was no way we could get back to Monaco. But even with a five minute penalty, I am still 10th. I'm sure the team can replace the gearbox and repair the suspension tonight so everything should be OK to continue in the morning." Overall times after SS15 / Leg 3 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 4hour 13mins 05.6secs 1. Kris Meeke Citroen C2 Super 1600 4hours 36mins 10.1secs Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena: "I was perhaps happier after the 2002 event because it was all so new. I made a name for myself that year by dominating the others until a time penalty dropped me to 2nd place. Ever since, this rally has been good to me. Each time I take the start I am as motivated as ever and I'm certainly not tired of winning. There's something special about this event: it's the most famous rally of them all and it's where my co-driver Daniel comes from. And I couldn't have got my 2005 campaign off to a better start." Petter Solberg / Phil Mills: "I'm extremely disappointed. It seems like this sort of luck is with me every time in Monte Carlo. No mistakes all rally, we're catching up places, everything's perfect and then this. What's so frustrating is that I was so close to getting a good result and wasn't pushing over the limit. You'd never try anything at that point, it's always slippery, I just made a mistake, braked too late and got caught out - it's as simple as that." Stephane Sazzazin/Patrick Pivato: "I'm still unhappy about
yesterday's crash, but overall I feel I have improved a lot this weekend
and have learned a good deal. The Monte Carlo is a difficult rally for
every driver and I finished it only because of the re-start regulation.
I'm grateful for that because it helped me to understand more about the
car and get experience of the range of tyres and how they work in these
conditions. Using slick tyres on dry tarmac, then ice and snow is
something that takes a lot of getting used to. I know much more about the
team now and am excited about getting to Sweden, my last time on the test
was good, I like the snow and I'm keen to get out there and learn more." Roman Kresta/Jan Tomanek: "Today has been very good. I had a much
better feeling with the car. I was so sorry for my mistake last night but
at least I was able to come back and score points for Ford. It's a really
positive weekend for the whole team. Today was a new day and a new race.
Yesterday was a small mistake for me but a big mistake for the result.
I've driven better today. I didn't push, I just drove smoothly and that's
the best way to drive the Focus." Markko Martin/Michael Park: "I've learnt a lot about the car on
this event, and there are some things which I am going to change which
will help me in the future. It's been quite difficult to get used to the
dimensions of the 307 WRC, as it has a slightly different feeling to cars
I have driven in the past. However, my initial impressions are very
positive and I am happy to get to the end of the rally with no problems.
Monte Carlo is always a very unpredictable event, so I was pleased to
steer clear of trouble!" Alex Bengue/Caroline Escudero: "The roads today were much more
dirty and slippery than yesterday so I could not attack as hard as before.
Also spectators had thrown snow onto the road on the Col du Turini and
this made it very dangerous on the col and at the start of the downhill
section. Overall I am very pleased with this result because we achieved
what we set out to do on this rally. We had very good speed in the right
conditions but I am sorry to have had the problem on yesterday's final
stage. Without it I could possibly have finished fifth or even fourth on
this rally." Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietiläinen: "To have two cars at the finish, both in the points and Gilles and Hervé on the podium is fantastic. It has been a long time since I drove on Tarmac but it has gone quite well for us. I am now looking forward to Sweden with more confidence. We have a good set-up and hopefully there will be good winter conditions where we can fight." Gilles Panizzi/Herve Panizzi: "For me, I said before that it was important for my team; they needed this success and now they and everyone else can see that Mitsubishi is back. Today we have arrived! This result is very important for everyone's confidence and I feel good that the mechanics and engineers have something to be very proud about. I have driven good cars here in the past, but I have never achieved such a result. To finish third, at home, and more importantly on the most famous event in the championship is incredible. Monte- Carlo is Monte-Carlo; I feel fantastic!" FIA RALLY NEWS / Sunday, 23 January 2005 Media Press Conference Present: Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Daniel Elena Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Jakke Honkanen Interviewer Jakke Honkanen Interviewer Gilles Panizzi Interviewer Gilles Panizzi Interviewer Hervé Panizzi Interviewer Guy Fréquelin Interviewer Guy Fréquelin Interviewer Sébastien Loeb Interviewer Daniel Elena Interviewer Toni Gardemeister Interviewer Jakke Honkanen Interviewer Gilles Panizzi Interviewer Hervé Panizzi Interviewer Journalist Sébastien Loeb Guy Fréquelin Michel Dotta (ACM) thanks competitors and journalists. Daniel Elena congratulates his team for winning in three different categories (WRC, Junior WRC, best amateur) FIA JUNIOR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Present Interviewer Kris Meeke Interviewer Chris Patterson Interviewer Kris Meeke Interviewer Chris Patterson Interviewer Kris Meeke Interviewer Kris Meeke Interviewer |