Have you managed to put your off in Japan and the points you lost behind you?
“I’ve never been one to dwell on the past. I prefer to look forward and I’m more interested in the two rounds to come. Daniel made a mistake like I can make mistakes at times. We’ve been competing together for almost ten years now and it was one of the first times he’s ever made an error calling out a pacenote. We immediately got back into the swing by re-starting and pushing hard the following morning. That was important. When Grönholm retired, we had a chance of scoring a good result in Japan but we let it slip from our grasp. We can’t afford to miss the next one. The overall result in Japan leaves us in the same situation we have been in for some events now: we’ve absolutely got to win. Before, we needed to win five rallies; now we need to win the next two! “
You have contested two rallies in Ireland this season. What did they teach you?
“They taught me that Rally Ireland won’t be easy! It’s important to point out that the Donegal and Cork Rallies don’t take place in the same region as Sligo and the roads there might be different to what we’ve already seen. Taken part in these two events was a new experience but Citroën has good experience of asphalt. That said, Rally Ireland promises to be like no other event I know. I would perhaps liken it to the French Championship’s Rallye du Touquet, only faster in places. The bumpy, narrow stages make it a very difficult cocktail and it will call for a special feeling. “
To stay in the title chase, you need to win…
“We have no alternative. I start every event with the intention of winning and that’s especially true this time. Our visits to Ireland earlier in the year, Citroën’s experience of asphalt and the Citroën C4 WRC’s proven competitiveness on sealed surfaces should all help us and I hope Dani and Marc succeed in finishing ahead of Marcus. We’re still very much in with a shout, but we have very little margin for manoeuvre…”
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