News and quotes SS 16 (Mühltal 1)

szlapka4
Oct 19
2 min read

The first run on the ‘king's stage’ of the Central European Rally was also the dress rehearsal for the final power stage at midday: 26.52 kilometres of tarmac had to be covered on the Mühltal stage – more than on any other stage of the weekend. And on this mammoth stage, Sébastien Ogier left no doubt that he is back and determined to have his say here. The Toyota driver took 14:05.7 minutes to reach the finish in Peilstein, with Elfyn Evans in second place one second slower and Kalle Rovanperä 1.8 seconds slower. There is no doubt that Ogier has his sights set on winning the Super Sunday classification and the points that come with it!

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

‘A very clean track. It couldn't have been any better. Some places are getting cleaner and others maybe dirtier.’

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

‘The track was clear, but I didn't have a good feeling. The soft tires started to slip early on in the stage. I don't know if they were the right choice.’

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

“The track was a little dirtier than I thought. But it wasn't too bad either. It's not easy to start as the last car. I just wasn't fast enough.”

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

‘I had no grip. It was very strange. The tires were sliding. We didn't change anything, but I have a completely different feeling.’

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

‘After one kilometre, I knew it wasn't going to work. The balance of the car was very poor and I had understeer in every corner. That destroys the front tyres. It just wasn't fun. We made some changes from yesterday to today – some things got better, others worse. We're still searching‘

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

‘It wasn't so good for me. I felt that it was very slippery. That meant I couldn't build up any confidence. Since Thierry has retired, he can no longer catch up with us. As the stage was cancelled, we have fewer kilometres to catch up with Adrien.’

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

‘I took it a bit easier. The brakes were a disaster from the start. I had no feeling in the pedal. The car isn't perfect for these dry stages. The grip is too high.‘