News and quotes from the Klatovy Regrouping

On Saturday afternoon, the teams headed to the Czech rally metropolis of Klatovy, where the regrouping with technical zone provided an opportunity to repair damage and adjust settings once again. The big fan program attracted many spectators, who filled the market square in the historic town center and also created a great atmosphere at the nearby special stage. And, of course, many drivers had a lot to say after the exciting morning loop – here are their statements:

#33 Elfyn Evans (GBR) / Scott Martin (GBR), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

"It was okay. The conditions out there are very mixed, of course. The middle stage was very difficult with a lot of shiny asphalt and lots of leaves. That was the most difficult part, and there were also a lot of leaves again in this last stage. Otherwise, it was okay, but not easy out there. In the afternoon, it will obviously be a little drier, with a bit of luck. But we also know that the dirt will be high, so we still suspect that the first stage right after the start could be difficult."

#69 Kalle Rovanperä (FIN) / Jonne Halttunen (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

"I feel pretty good. The morning was tricky, of course, with difficult conditions, but we managed everything. We had good pace and didn't make any mistakes. The lead is quite big now, of course, so we'll try to drive smart and keep everything as it is. The morning was quite easy and straightforward. The stages in Czechia were, of course, quite difficult again. I think it will be quite dirty in the afternoon, but the conditions should be more stable, with no rain, which is good.“

#8 Ott Tänak (EST) / Martin Järveoja (EST), Hyundai i20 N Rally1

”To be honest, we had a pretty good morning. The middle stage was probably the most difficult due to the conditions, but we still felt quite comfortable and drove well. Otherwise, it was a good day. Hopefully, we can maintain the same pace in the afternoon.“

#1 Thierry Neuville (BEL) / Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL), Hyundai i20 N Rally1

”Our Saturday morning is a continuation of yesterday. The conditions were difficult, but I think we made a relatively good tire choice. However, even with the good tires, we couldn't really improve the car to find the right feeling and just rolled through the stages. We had three wet tires and three slicks. Tomorrow will also be difficult. The conditions made it even more difficult, of course, but as always, the Czech stages are a challenge. In the afternoon, we'll have to see what the weather is like to make the right tire choice.“

#16 Adrien Fourmaux (FRA) / Alexandre Coria (FRA), Hyundai i20 N Rally1

”It could be better. I just had big problems with the car. On bumpy and slippery roads, we are way too far behind. It's really hard to drive."

#20 Oliver Solberg (SWE) / Elliott Edmondson (GBR), Toyota GR Yaris

"It was a good morning. We've now extended our lead to 51 seconds or so. It was challenging for everyone, with lots of difficult conditions. But I think we at least stayed mistake-free and had a decent morning. I think everyone had the same tires, so it doesn't matter. I'm not sure if anyone was happy with their tire choice, but at least it was the same for everyone. Hopefully it will dry out a little on the special stages, then it should perhaps be a little easier."

#22 Nikolay Gryazin (BUL) / Konstantin Aleksandrov (KGZ), Skoda Fabia RS

"Things went well for us. We improved the setup a little, so the car's handling feels a bit different now. Somehow, the timing is better too. Now we have to focus on keeping the pressure on the guys and doing what we want and what we can do. The first stage today was quite easy, with right-angled corners. This long stage is really very, very tricky. I mean, it's okay, but the surface with all this mud and the wet conditions is challenging for the tires. But Klatovy was nice, and it's good that we didn't have any moisture on this last stage."

#24 Jan Černý (CZE) / Ondřej Krajča (CZE), Skoda Fabia RS

"The first stage today was completely dry, the second was very tricky. In some places the grip was good, but then suddenly there was no grip at all, so it was difficult to judge the grip level. But we are improving, we are having fun, so everything is good, I am happy. It's great to be a Czech driver with a Czech car in the Czech Republic. I see the support, I feel the support, and I see lots of Czech flags, which is great.“

#27 Filip Mareš (CZE) / Radovan Bucha (CZE), Toyota GR Yaris

”It was difficult again because we didn't find the optimal pace at the start of the day, I would say. We lost a little time, and above all, I perhaps took the stage a little too lightly. Hopefully, we can improve in the second round. Every stage today is different. The first SS is full of junctions and anti-cuts and is quite clean overall. The second is completely different because it is so slippery, dirty, narrow, and bumpy in places that it is difficult to find confidence there. The third is somewhere in between, but the most difficult stage was definitely the longest one with wet conditions and water.“

#28 Fabio Schwarz (GER) / Pascal Raabe (GER), Toyota GR Yaris

”Saturday morning went much more positively than the previous days. We were able to get much closer to the front. The feeling with the car is much better. There are still a few things we can improve, but we'll try to do that in the second run.“

#32 Taylor Gill (AUS) / Daniel Brkic (AUS), Ford Fiesta Rally3

”It was a really good morning for us. We won two of the three stages and made up quite a bit of time on Mille ahead of us. That was basically exactly what we needed to do. Now the battle for the championship will be no less exciting.“

#40 Claire Schönborn (GER) / Michael Wenzel (GER), Ford Fiesta Rally3

”We managed to set a very good time in the Made in FRG stage. Then it started to rain and we were one of the few cars without rain tires. It was super slippery, super slick, extremely challenging. That's when I lost my mirror. The car skidded sideways in the braking zone of the chicane. But otherwise, we mastered the stage quite well. And then in Klatovy – that's one of my favorite stages. It felt very, very good, but I'm not satisfied with the result. I hope we can improve on it right away."

#41 Philip Geipel (GER) / Jennifer Lerch (GER), Toyota GR Yaris Rally2

"We had a very good, nice rhythm on the first special stage today, but the second one in Keply was nothing – unfortunately, we don't have any rain tires with us, which was of course a huge handicap and we lost an incredible amount of time. On the Klatovy stage, we skidded a little bit towards the meadow and once at the junction the engine stalled. If I take away the time we lost there, I think we would have been really fast. And it felt incredibly good too. So we lost well over 10 seconds because of those two things."

#43 Thomas Pahlitzsch (GER) / Stefan Grundmann (GER), VW Polo R5

"We're quite satisfied. We were worried that it would rain a lot harder, but we were lucky that we were able to complete the long stage on relatively dry roads. We drove a good time and are happy with what we did. I think it will be even faster in the afternoon. There is more dirt in the corners, but the forest is dry, of course, so the stage in the forest will get faster and faster. And everyone knows the stage now, of course."

#46 Hermann Gassner Jr. (GER) / Ursula Gassner (AUT), Renault Clio Rally3

"The weather made it a little more exciting than expected. We opted for the safer option and had three rain tires and three slicks with us. We changed for the second special stage, but by then it was already relatively dry again. We could have driven with five slicks, which would have been better. But all in all, things are going quite well, except that I'm still finding the narrow forests in Czechia a bit difficult, so I don't want to take too many risks. Especially since we actually lost our rally a bit yesterday. But things are going well, and I can't complain."

#47 Hermann Gassner Sr. (GER) / Natascha Vgra (AUT), Renault Clio Rally3

“The first two stages today were okay. Unfortunately, we made a mistake in the third. It was a junction and I wanted to drive it like a chicane at first. The engine stalled and we lost a bit of time, but we'll see if we can make it up again.”

#48 Petr Kačírek (CZE) / Petr Černohorský (CZE), Ford Fiesta Rally3

"Right now, I feel incredible. There are so many Czech fans at the track, so many posters with our names on them, lots of fans waving. I'm really enjoying it; I've never seen anything like it before. The first special stage was pretty good; we managed to lose less than 1 km per second to the leader, Taylor Gill. The second special stage was quite difficult for us. We chose a mix of soft and wet tires, and I wasn't able to drive as fast as I could, but the last special stage was really good again, and I enjoyed it very much."

#49 Timo Weigert (GER) / Jasmin Weigert (GER), Renault Clio Rally3

“This morning was very tricky for us because we were driving on four slicks and didn't have any rain tires for the Czech forest. It was very slippery there, but we still got through it well and were able to attack a bit again on the Klatovy stage, where everything was clean again.”