News and quotes Regrouping on Saturday

Taking a breather before the grand finale: Before heading into the Wolf Power Stage, the teams gathered once again for regrouping in Rohrbach. Before setting off in pursuit of Super Sunday and Power Stage points, the drivers gave a brief summary of the morning's events. Here are their statements:

#17 Sébastien Ogier (FRA) / Vincent Landais (FRA), Toyota GR Yaris Rally

’It was a good round for us, there's not much to say about it. We tried to drive as fast as possible, that's all. We can now change the tyres for the afternoon, so that won't change. But it was certainly a slight disadvantage for the long stage that we had to start with used tyres compared to the others. At the same time, however, we were probably able to make up some time because we had already trained at high speed this morning.‘

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

’Things seem to be going a little better for us now. I don't feel like I'm pushing particularly hard, but it seems to be a bit more efficient than yesterday, at least. So far, everything is fine. Of course, the temperatures are rising now. It looks completely dry, so hopefully the conditions on the Power Stage will be quite good.‘

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

‘It went pretty well – obviously, it's a tough battle for the Sunday points. Everyone is pushing really hard. As the last car on the track, it's pretty dirty in places, so it's not easy to keep up with the pace of the others. But we're really trying to maintain a good rhythm. So far, so good – there's one more stage to go. It should be quite good, we'll really step on the gas again on the Power Stage.’

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

’Today was a mixed bag – one stage didn't go so well, and we weren't good on the long one. It was really difficult and also quite cold. We went a little too far off the road in one or two places, and the tyres were pretty worn down at the end. Before that, things were actually going quite well, but I lost some time – maybe five or six seconds. Still, it was tough, but in the end it was exciting again. For the last run, I hope we can do better than the first time.‘

#18 Takamoto Katsuta (JPN) / Aaron Johnston (IRL), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

‘I didn't have a particularly good start. We changed a few things on the car, then it got better. In terms of time, it wasn't too bad on the second special stage, but compared to yesterday, something is still missing in terms of feel. We tried to figure out what was wrong and what was missing, and we're doing our best to score some points for the Power Station.’

#5 Sami Pajari (FIN) / Marko Salminen (FIN), Toyota GR Yaris Rally1

’The Mühltal stage has a really nice profile, but I had a bit of trouble with the feel. It wasn't great, but still within the green zone. Then I tried to make a few small changes for the Beyond Borders stage, and it felt a bit better. But it's also difficult to keep up with the times of the frontrunners, as they've already driven the stages once and know exactly where they have grip and where they don't.‘

#13 Grégoire Munster (LUX) / Louis Louka (BEL), Ford Puma Rally1

‘Everything's fine. There wasn't much to be gained, but we tried to improve the feeling. And now in the second run it was pretty good. We'll try to achieve something in the Power Stage. We'll probably put on the hard tyres, as everyone had problems in the first run. Let's see how it goes.’

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

’It was a difficult morning. We have a big lead, so basically everything is fine. But we had no brakes – at the start of the previous stage and also at the start of this one. Something is wrong with the braking system, but it's okay. We have a big lead, so no problem. The stages themselves are really cool – nice and flowing, fast, really fun to drive. And it's great to see so many fans. It's fantastic to see so many people everywhere on the stages, from all kinds of countries. It really adds a lot to the rally when the atmosphere is so good. Now it's just a matter of getting to the finish – because of the brakes.‘

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

’The last day has been okay so far. We tried a slightly different tyre strategy – I can't say yet whether it really worked. At least we've gained some experience for the future, maybe even for Japan. It wasn't perfect, but at the moment we're not fighting for anything, so it's more about understanding how everything works and what we can do better. I was a bit too fast in a corner, hit the grass and spun at high speed. We hit a hay bale barrier – no major damage, but the tyre took the brunt of the impact and the track rod broke. Unfortunately, we didn't have a spare part in the car, so we couldn't replace it and had to retire. I don't expect anything special from the Power Stage – it's the last stage. We just want to have fun and enjoy the ride.‘

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

’I feel really good. I'm super happy with our speed – it's really like a dream. We just have to keep going like this, and I hope we can maintain this pace until the end. I'm really happy to be here. It's a beautiful rally – I love it. Challenging corners, sometimes slippery, but great weather and just a lot of fun. I'm really happy. Now it's all about staying focused, that's all.‘

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

’Really nice stages – especially the longest stage of the rally had a really good rhythm. I would say that if the pace notes are really good, then it's just pure driving pleasure for the crew. And that's exactly the plan for the second loop: have fun, enjoy ourselves and try to win the stage.‘

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

’The first two stages were quite tricky, with less grip than expected. We only know the stages from the last few days, but today there is definitely even less grip because it's simply cold. We had a little moment on the last stage, but our time was really good. So we're happy. I'm expecting lots of fans this afternoon and another fun run.‘

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

’It was okay, I'd say. The first stage wasn't so good, but the second one was much better. So overall, it was a bit mixed, but we're heading in the right direction. You can see lots of fans and spectators here at the regrouping – really cool. There are people everywhere, even outside at the stages, which is really nice to see. Great atmosphere, definitely. As for the Power Stage – yes, it's definitely not going to be easy. It was pretty slippery this morning, so I expect similar conditions again.‘

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

’Yes, the conditions were very difficult, as the outside temperature was only one or two degrees. It was hard to get the tyres up to operating temperature, so the first few kilometres of the first stage this morning were very exciting. Fortunately, it was a very long stage, which I always like anyway. Then, of course, Beyond Borders. We drove that stage in the same way last year. I'm now looking forward to the very last stage. Unfortunately, that brings our season to an end. That's not so nice, but we'll try to enjoy the last stage to the fullest. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. There were some very, very good placings. And then there was last place when we rolled over. So it was really a colourful mix of everything. I am very grateful for this opportunity to have been able to do this. It is anything but a matter of course. I learned a lot about driving on gravel, snow and ice. Everything was a first for me. It was a lot of fun, especially the gravel. It wasn't easy at first to understand what I had to do. But now Finland, for example, worked out really well again and I'm really looking forward to driving on gravel again next time. Discussions are still ongoing, so it's too early to say anything, but something will be announced in the next few weeks.‘