Wales Rally GB : Stage Flash

Stage Flash - SS3

23 October 2009, 12:52 pm

Quotes from the end of the third Special Stage

STAGE FLASH
Date: 23.10.2009
Day: 1 Flash No: 3
Special Stage: SS3, MYHERIN 1 Distance: 27.88 Km
Weather: Dry with some cloud, fog has lifted
Road Conditions: Smooth but slippery in parts. Light rain overnight with lingering fog in places

3: Mikko Hirvonen/Jarmo Lehtinen
"Being first on the road was not an issue. I wasn't good on this stage last year and the same now. Sebastien is really flying."

1: Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena
"That was a really good stage, flat out everywhere. I am really happy with the car and we took good lines everywhere."

2: Dani Sordo/Marc Marti
"That was a good stage and we are fast but not the same as Seb! He is really flying. I am trying my hardest but everyone is going faster."

6: Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud
"There must be a problems with the spark plugs or something, as sometimes the car is working fine and sometimes it's down to three cylinders. I am happy with my times though."

4: Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Antilla
"I am not sure yet what spares we have on the car. It is the front left driveshaft that has gone. We had a spin on the first corner at Sweet Lamb which is what did the damage. I think I have ruptured a brake line too."

5: Matthew Wilson/Scott Martin
"We have a traction problem, we think its the rear diff so not very happy with that one."

12: Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
"It is hard to fight with the guys in front and set similar times. I am well off the pace."

8: Conrad Rautenbach/Daniel Barritt
"Some bits were good, some were bad in there. The conditions don't suit me at the moment and it takes time to get confidence."

14: Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson
"It has not been a good morning. I have oil all over the front screen in there after breaking the front suspension. We lost a few minutes and it might be risky to continue. We will just end up damaging the car. We might have to stop. We'll see for sure at Service."

16: Aaron Burkart/Michael Kolbach
"We are really enjoying it! I have never made pace notes in a WRC car before so my braking points are a little bit out."

31: Martin Prokop/Jan Tománek
"It is very close in our Championship. It is going well for me though so far."

17: Steve Perez/Paul Spooner
"It is very slippery and fast, great stages."

47: Armindo Araújo/Miguel Ramalho
"I am just trying to get used to the differences in the car. It is a much better car and we should do well. I feel I am driving like a chicken so far!"

50: Nasser Al-Attiyah/Giovanni Bernacchini
"We enjoyed the first three stages and we make new pacenotes. We should be quicker second time though."

15: Khalid Al Qassimi/Michael Orr
"We spun 100metres from the start. The centre diff is wrong and the car is almost impossible to drive. We lost so much time."

46: Patrik Sandell/Emil Axelsson
"We lost the brakes in there and we don't feel very confortable in there. It is taking time to get into the feel of the car."

39: Eyvind Brynildsen/Denis Giraudet
"Skoda built this car for me and I love it! We are really happy and absolutely flying."

45: Patrik Flodin/Göran Bergsten
Emerged from stage on three wheels and have retired from rally. "We lost our rear nearside wheel a couple of kms from the finish. We had a vibration before and lost the brakes and then we lost the wheel. Somebody has a nice souvenir."

33: Toshi Arai/Glenn MacNeall
"It is not so easy for me, too fast. The car is going well but I am not. I have no experience here but will get used to the pace as the rally goes on."

63: Jarkko Nikara/Jarkko Kalliolepo
"The car feels underpowered. The stages are nice but we are down on speed

65: Mark Tapper/Jeff Judd
"I am struggling for grip and the car is not pulling above 5000rpm."

32: Bernardo Sousa/Jorge Carvalho
"I had engine problems on that stage and am losing power. It feels like an engine problem."

64: Martin Semerad/Bohuslav Ceplecha
"Very hard in there, slipperier than expected."

38: Gábor Mayer/Robert Tagai
"The power steering pump failed in that stage and I now arms like Popeye."

62: Jon Williams/George Gwynn
"I am going OK and staying out of trouble. The turbo went yesterday and I am a bit worried about the engine but we will go back to service and make a few changes."

66: Dennis Kuipers/Kees Hagman
"A very good morning, with fantasic stages. Myherin was really fast and it was hard to follow the pacenotes."

40: Dave Weston/Ieuan Thomas
"We had a turbo blown and have absolutely no boost at all."

69: Peter Stephenson/Jim Burns
"I am still learning and this is only the third stage I've done here."

61: Nico Thomas/Angelos Loizides
"It is my first time on the rally and it is going well. I am taking it carefully as I want to finish the event."

67: Mattias Therman/Janne Peräla
"We are getting more experience here and trying to go faster. Our priority is to survive the first day."

68: Rene Kuipers/Erwin Mombaerts
"I am taking it easy and my son is two cars ahead of me. It used to be the other way around!"

70: Daniel Siguroarson/Andrew Sankey
"We were held up by a car in front and he smashed my screen. I am absolutely furious."

71: Eamonn Boland/MJ Morrissey
"Slippy but great stage. It is good to be back in Wales again."

73: Egon Kaur/Erik Lepikson
"Great stages, really happy but am struggling with my pacenotes. I will try and do better on the next run."

72: Wug Utting/Max Utting
"We hit a bank with the back end and got a puncture. We lose maybe thirty seconds."

74: Trond Lyseng/Pål Iversen
Taking it easy, but will try harder next time though."

78: Paulo Nobre/Edu Paula
"So far so good. It is my first rally in GB and my first event outside outside South America and my first in an Evo X. All is new - the competition is with myself

79: Emre Yurdakul/Burak Erdener
Not happy with suspension, and we want to try adjust at Service

49: Giorgio Bacco/Nicola Arena
"Broken brakes on SS1 and nothing since. We have been going carefully

80: Burcu Cetinkaya/Çiçek Güney
"Seven kms from the end of the Myherin 1 stage we went off an lost two minutes and spectators pushed us back on - thank you to them!"

77: Giuseppe Dettori/Marco Corda
"The co-driver is making corrections to the notes as we go so we hope we will be faster this afternoon.

76: Craig Breen/Gareth Roberts
"Notes weren't so good in there. The rally is going well and we are pushing for the Championship. As long as we are ahead of Patrick we will be happy."

81: Patrick Anglade/Hans-Peter Loth
"We were happy in that stage and were pleased with our performance."

83: Tomaz Kaucic/Peter Zorenc
"Doing OK and improving on gravel. We hope to go faster second run through."

84: Bader Al Jabri/Stephen McAuley
"Nice stages. We are here to learn how to drive on mud."

85: Ahmed Al Mansoori/Killian Duffy
"First time in Wales and we are learning how to drive on gravel."

88: Atte Alanen/Teemu Horkama
"We are going as fast as the car will go."

86: Majed Al Shamsi/Allan Harryman
"It is very smooth and not as slippery as expected. My only experience on Rally GB was last year on three stages before I retired!"

89: Tom Haines/Dai Roberts
I like the smoother stages like Myherin because they flow like a racing track."

90: Sander Pärn/Ken Järveoja
"The pacenotes are not so good and I am not so confident at the moment on the tyres because it is my first time with Pirelli."

92: Mattei Loic/Julien Vial
"It was very slippy but OK so far."

82: Davide Catania/Antonello Moncada
"Really struggling with no brakes. We are having to use use the gears to slow us down."

95: Kit Leigh/Tim Leigh
"That was a brilliant run! We caught the guy in front and are doing everything well"

93: Jean-Thierry Vacheron/Sylvain Trombert
"I am a gentleman driver and moved over to let car 95 (Kit Leigh/Tim Leigh) come through. This is my last but one rally before I retire from rallying."

94: Kenneth Treacy/Martin Comerford
"I am having a ball and enjoying this although I am having problems with the gearbox."

87: Tom Cave/Craig Parry
"I went off on a crest about four kms into stage and hit a ditch and rolled twice. We were determined to get it back to Cardiff and get it fixed. Thank you to the Land Rovers for pulling us out."

LAND ROVER CHALLENGE

202: Steve Partridge/Adam Entwhistle
"We had a few offs and are enjoying ourselves. It is slippery and greasy but a good challenge. We are quicker than 201 which is good because on the second stage of the day he was quicker than me!"

204: George Morrison/Curtis McKertie
"We had to tow 203 back to Service. It's a fuel starvation problem he's having so we'll have a look."

205: Duncan Lilwall/Craig Teasdale
"That was good but the surface is very slippery with these tyres."

206: Alan Paramore/Gari Hazelby
This is the second year in a row I have had to tow Tom Cave! Last year I had to tow him onto a stage, and this year I have had to tow him off it! We're all off down his dad's pub later for a free pint!"

Sebastien Loeb has won Rallye Monte-Carlo for a sixth time following a dominant performance behind the wheel of the Citroen DS3 WRC he shares with Monegasque co-driver Daniel Elena.

Of the 74 starters who began Wales Rally GB in Llandudno on Thursday 10th November, 40 were classified at the end of the four-day,1860 kms rally which featured 23 timed special stages as it wound its way from the North coast to the ceremonial finish in Cardiff.

As this year's Wales Rally GB - the final and deciding round of the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship - draws to a close, Business Minister, Edwina Hart has announced a funding package of £1.4 million for the 2012 event.

Useful Contacts

Welsh Government

World Rally Championship

Information on Cardiff

Conwy and Llandudno

Further Information

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