Drivers: Michal Kosciuszko (Suzuki), Aaron Burkart (Suzuki)


Press conference:

Q:
Michal, your first win was in Portugal. Confidence must be quite high for this event, despite the fact that you never competed here before.

Michal Kosciuszko:
Yes, it's my first Argentina Rally so it will be for sure a top event. The three of us (Junior contenders) still have to finish this rally, we need to avoid problems, to drive as fast as possible and of course, each of us can win so we need to keep our normal speed.

Q:
Your co-driver has been here before, so how much of a help is that? He has experience of the stages and can help you in that respect.

MK:
Last time he said the only advice he can give me is to push the throttle, so that's the only advice I can get from him!

Q:
Martin Prokop, who is competing in the Junior as well as Production series, is in PWRC this weekend so that gives you an opportunity to extend your lead over him to pick up a win. How important would it be for your Championship hopes to take away 10 points this weekend?

MK:
Of course it's very very important to get maximum points.

Q:
What's your strategy for this weekend?

MK:
I will start with my normal speed at the beginning and then we will see the situation and the differences between us; that's the only strategy, because I don't want to slow down too much. In that case, I would loose the concentration as I did in Portugal. I tried to slow down but it was a bad idea. I need to keep my normal speed and avoid problems. That's it.

Q:
Aaron. It's your first time in Argentina. What do you think of it so far?

Aaron Burkart:
It's probably the same as Michal said before. It's quite strange circumstances because you really have to finish the rally to get the points again and on the other hand you always try to be faster than the other guys. So it's exciting as well. It's quite important to keep the car and yourself out of trouble and trying to finish the rally.

Q:
We have had three winners in the Juniors this year. Do you think it's going to be just the three of you - you, Martin and Michal - who are going to be fighting for the title?

AB:
Hope so, It would be nice. So at least I mean that fight. It's good.

Q:
What do you think of the stages? You've been out, you've done the recce and seen it now.

AB:
It's quite unique. Because you have a very, very fast intersection, quite smooth and you turn around two corners and suddenly the stage is a completely different one; it's very bumpy, a lot of big loose stones and sometimes even rocks underneath and on the next corners there is deep sand. So it's quite challenging to the suspension and also for the driver to adapt your driving style to the circumstances you find.

Q:
We have got dry weather at the moment but the threat of rain is present. Whether it will actually happen or not, we don't know. But we are hearing that it could be wet tomorrow, and that changes things again.

AB:
You're absolutely right, yes. I heard that there's a lot of this kind of black surface on the stages and I've been told that this kind of surface is really, really slippery but it would be the same for all of us. We all have the same tyres, so there's at least this kind of gambling.

Q:
Aaron, you're not far behind in the Championship standings. How important is it for you to take the top step of the podium?

AB:
It's always important to try to be the fastest and win the rally. Generally, as the other guys said as well, it's quite important to find a good rhythm and a good mixture in not being too aggressive and saving the car. For the tactics, I think everybody is the same, so you will go out and try to do your own driving style, see the times, what the others are doing and try to be more aggressive.