WRC Acropolis Rally 2012

Pre-event Press Conference Thursday 24 May

Present:
Jari-Matti Latvala, Ford World Rally Team
Evgeny Novikov, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
Mikko Hirvonen, Citroën Total World Rally Team
Nasser Al-Attiyah, Qatar World Rally Team

Q:
Jari-Matti, welcome back! You missed Rally Argentina due to injury, how is the recovery going and is it good to be back on the WRC?
J-ML:
Thank you. It’s honestly great to be back. I was following Argentina closely to see how our team and the others were going. It is exciting to follow, but as a driver it was frustrating. It felt like I had been one year away when I got to the recce here.

Q:
Is it possible to aim for victory this weekend or do you feel you will be hampered by your shoulder?
J-ML:
I have full movement of the shoulder and 90 per cent of the power is back, I can’t lift heavy things and I avoid stress elements. I have a 10cm titanium plate and six screws – it should be strong. There will be pain in the compression and jumps, but it should be okay.
MH:
You’re lucky it’s really smooth here…!
J-ML:
We tested in very hard and rough conditions. If the pain comes it goes as well very quickly. It won’t affect the driving.
MH:
I didn’t ski one metre last winter – that’s why I’m okay!

Q:
What are your thoughts on the Drivers’ Championship now? Do you believe there is still a chance?
J-ML:
It doesn’t look so good. But as long as you have the chance, you keep fighting. When it does look like I have lost the chance then I need to support Petter [Solberg], as I did last year with Mikko. That’s the team spirit and that’s what you do, but as long as there is a chance I will fight.

Q:
When do you make that decision; what about this rally?
J-ML:
We have to see. This is not the rally to go flat out: you have to look after car and tyres. If the speed is not enough, many things can happen. We need to drive and then decide how we go further. If I could make the podium, that would be good.

Q:
Evgeny, back in Portugal you picked up your very first WRC podium. Was that a one off or will we see more podiums from you this year?
EN:
I hope of course you will see us again – maybe even here. We will do our best.

Q:
Do you think that your approach to rallies has changed, that you are less aggressive in your driving style?
EN:
Difficult to say. I still have the same style of driving, but I have experience and improved my pace notes: it is quite safe and fast.

Q:
How’s the confidence here?
EN:
I feel confident from the Qualifying Stage, the car feels better than before. Before the speed was more slow, but now we have found the same speed as Sweden or Monte Carlo.

Q:
What will be the biggest challenge of this event for you?
EN:
I don’t remember the name of the stage, but it goes downhill in the middle. It’s very fast and narrow and rough – it’s on Saturday, I think. I think that stage will be one of the most difficult.

Q:
Mikko, you are currently third in the Championship just three points adrift of Petter Solberg, what are your thoughts on your season so far?
MH:
It’s looking pretty good. My pace is getting better and better in the team and that’s important – I have to try and do that in all the rallies.

Q:
Are you still learning the car?
MH:
Some things, maybe. I change the car a little bit more – even in Argentina there were some sections where I wasn’t so strong. At the end of the day, it’s just a car with a steering wheel and pedals. We drive it…

Q:
Tell me about the Qualifying Stage this morning, you almost had a spin – things didn’t quite go to plan?
MH:
That was exactly my plan…

Q:
And your position on the road?
MH:
It’s 10th, I think. Or is it nine? It’s nine or 10 [ninth].

Q:
How was the recce?
MH:
For Friday and Sunday, the conditions are better than last year – but Saturday is very rough. There is still the Acropolis Rally spirit in this rally and that comes on Saturday, when you need to be a little bit careful.

Q:
We saw team orders in Argentina, when the gap between you and Sébastien Loeb was very small. How do you avoid that this time?
MH:
I will do the same as what I did in Argentina. I was happy to show the pace and be up there on that rally and I want to do the same on this one.

Q:
Nasser, this year is the first time for the collaboration between Qatar and Citroën. It is also the first year we see you in a world rally car. How have you adapted and how do you feel it is going so far?
NA-A:
I am really so happy to move the biggest step and the team is fantastic. I learn a lot with the team. For me, it’s not easy. The speed compared to S2000 or Group N is completely different. But every race we are better and we try to find our pace, but everything is going very well.

Q:
What do you think of Friday, with no main service, just remotes?
NA-A:
This is a very difficult rally. For me, my opinion is that the speed doesn’t mean anything on the Acropolis – you need to watch many, many things. It’s a long rally and long liaisons and if anything happens it’s game over. We need to be careful, we need to always be on the road. In some places we push and some places we are careful.

Q:
Will the weather change things, if it rains?
NA-A:
For Greece it is not a big change. It is a rocky, hard rally. The choice of the tyres is not big, we only have 10 soft and most hard. We must be very careful because we have to go a long way. If you go on the soft tyre, I am sure you won’t come back to service.

Q:
What do you hope to achieve in 2012?
NA-A:
To learn.
MH:
He wants a gold medal!
NA-A:
Yes an Olympic medal – he is right! But from the rally side, I would like a really good year. And from the other sport, in the Olympic Games, we have only two months but I will do a lot of training and I have a good feeling.
MH:
Jari-Matti will be doing the Winter Olympics next time!
JM-L:
I think I need to train more. Maybe I should take Mikko as my trainer…

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Marcus Stier
Sport Auto, Germany

Q:
Jari-Matti, titanium is banned in world rally cars now. Do you comply?
MH:
Exactly!
J-ML:
Titanium was used in old world rally cars. And, as there are younger guys driving than me, I am already the older specification, so I am allowed to use this!

Reiner Kuhn
Motorsport Aktuell, Switzerland

Q:
A question for Jari-Matti and Mikko. Do you have special suits or safety clothes for your shoulder Jari-Matti, and Mikko you have driven with the American HANS system, is it better?
J-ML:
I have a standard HANS device and specially made padding which we have modified to use it how the FIA has advised us. It’s thick padding under the HANS device which divides the pressure away from the collarbone.
MH:
I am using the new, American-style HANS device. I am not sure it makes a big difference. Maybe it’s a bit more time consuming to put it on, but there is less pressure on the chest. It feels like I can get the [seat] belts on tighter and I feel I have more room to move my arms and do silly things in the car.

FIA PRODUCTION CAR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
Ricardo Triviño
Benito Guerra

Q:
Was everything good this morning?
RT:
I am very happy. In Argentina I have many problems. This is my second round in the PWRC, but now the car is very, very good. The car is strong, but this is a very big rally. I am happy with the times in shakedown this morning.

Q:
Have you tested before this event?
RT:
I prepare in NACAM Championship in Mexico. I have done two rallies and [I’m in] second place in the rallies – I feel good for me.

Q:
What result are you looking for this week?
RT:
I think the podium. No problems in the car, the podium is possible

Q:
Benito, this is a tough challenge: do you feel confident?
BG:
Yes, I feel confident. I am quite happy with the start of the season, we have two victories and we are doing the right thing. Ralliart Italia gave me a great car and I trust them. We had some problem in shakedown, there was some oil warning light which popped on. I’m a little bit worried now – I had to run to get here and now I hope the team can find this problem. We need to fight here and we need three victories to keep up the challenge.

Q:
What exactly happened at shakedown?
BG:
It was about one kilometre after the stage, the oil light popped out. I stopped the car and asked the engineer. The engineer said to stop, he said: “We come and find you.” We only did one pass at shakedown and I had no test after Argentina. I am a little bit worried about the engine, but the team will do some great work and I’m sure we can fight.

Q:
What’s the biggest challenge on this event?
BG:
There are two. The first is the two remote services in a row tomorrow. We have some very good stages, but they are far from here. You cannot run like you would like, there are not enough spare parts in the car. The other challenge is to keep the car in one piece; this is the toughest rally I have ever seen. I have not seen so many rocks in one stage. We have to keep the car in one piece to the finish line, like we did in Argentina.

Q:
Who is your main competition here?
BG:
There is a lot of competition: Nicholas Fuchs and Marcos Ligato are the most difficult guys to beat right now. But the local drivers are also tough, they are mentally strong in this kind of stages. We have to push and then take care of the car in the rough.

Q:
Benito, good luck to you and team with getting the car sorted this afternoon…
BG:
I know they can do this and I trust my team. They will give me a very good car for [the start in] Athens this afternoon. I have to be calm. I need to trust the team. If we do the third victory, we will do the hat trick and this would be a very good start to the year. We have to fight, but we know how to fight. The strategy is a little more clear after the recce. I hope there are no mistakes and to get to the finish in one piece – this would be a good result for Mexico [the country].

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Martin Holmes
Martin Holmes Rallying, UK

Q:
Benito, some of your rivals have switched to Subarus from Mitsubishi – what do you think of that decision?
BG:
I don’t know what they think. All I know is that the Mitsubishi is the best car for me and for my driving style. The car was perfect in Argentina and Mexico. The Mitsubishi is a very strong car in the rough stages like Greece and Argentina. I hope it works for them and wish them the luck, but I hope I can beat them and win my third PWRC rally.

FIA WRC ACADEMY

Present:
Jose Suarez
Chris Duplessis

Q:
Jose, this is your second year within the WRC Academy. Do you feel you have more of an advantage over your fellow team-mates after one year?
JS:
Last year was very important for me and my head. I was young and sometimes I lost the head. I know now when I must push the throttle and when I must push the brake. For the tarmac, I wait; on gravel I want the top five.

Q:
What is your aim for this year?
JS:
To try to learn. I want experience. I will wait for tarmac to attack.

Q:
What preparation have you been doing to get ready for the challenge of the Acropolis Rally?
JS:
I went to a rally in the north of France, and training with a lot of hot, but today [the heat is] worse and it’s strange.

Q:
What did you think of the stages when you did the recce?
JS:
For today the stages are not too bad, but on Saturday it is very bad. We must take care and have the cool head. The finish will be very, very hard.

Q:
Dani Sordo is your ‘mentor’; what kind of advice has he been giving you?
JS:
I was speaking with him yesterday – he told me to be careful and keep a cool head. He told me to beware of the stones; there is nothing harder than this rally.

Q:
Chris, the Acropolis Rally forms a tough challenge for any driver. Are you ready for it? What kind of preparations have you been doing?
CD:
This is my third WRC event and they get better and better, the Acropolis is definitely a famous rally. I am very excited about this. I haven’t done a whole lot to get ready for the heat. It’s pretty cold in the United States right now, the snow has only just left. My biggest challenge will be the stage [pace] notes; I have been working hard on those since Portugal, we’ll see what happens.

Q:
Tell us about the last round in Portugal.
CD:
It started out going to plan, then we had an issue. We want the same in Greece: a clean run with no flat tyres and no penalties. Fingers crossed.

Q:
This is your first year as part of the Academy, what do you think of the training?
CD:
We’ve had some really good talks – that’s one of the coolest parts: the behind the scenes stuff. I really liked the bush mechanics stuff we just did. This is one [rally] where you might have to fix the car at the side of the road and I know quite a lot about cars, but I still learned plenty.

Q:
What will your approach be to this event?
CD:
I definitely need to get to the finish. I would like to be higher up, but there are still a few rounds left. There are five events to come and we can throw one away – I did that already, which isn’t very good, but we’ll see.

Q:
Which of the stages is the toughest?
CD:
Stage one, when we’re still warming up. From where I’m sitting it might be dark and there’s been some rain today – it’ll be tough.

Q:
How important is it for you to be involved in the FIA WRC Academy?
CD:
This is a great opportunity for me, and for a driver to represent the Unites States. My track record is not going very well, but hopefully we’ll start finishing and maybe get a WRC round in USA.

Q:
Where would that be?
CD:
Probably Seattle – at the Dirtfish Rallyschool!