PB:
Yes. Gwyndaf was a superb asset to the team as well. Absolutely great to work with and in testing there's few better in terms of his technical feedback. The help he gave us in improving the cars was superb. I feel a little bit sorry for him, he was dogged with a little bit of bad luck but that's rallying; it's 95 per cent work, commitment and talent and five per cent luck - and obviously that five per cent didn’t go with him this year.
Crash.net:
Overall, I guess you must feel quite satisfied now with the line-up you went for and the decision not to keep Ryan Champion on?
PB:
It wasn't a decision because we never dropped Ryan. Ryan's contract was for a year. He was an Evo Challenge winner and the contract with Evo Challenge is for a year only with the works team. So it was never a question of dropping him; he was never actually in the team for 2007. And we had to look around. Our driver has to be the best available talent. I think Guy completely vindicated our decision to wait, bide our time and secure him for the seat.
Crash.net:
How tough was Rally GB this year, especially as it was a double points scoring event? Did the team make any special or extra preparations for it?
PB:
The cars are set-up so they ride higher on the ground, so they get less damage, and we put some more tools in the car and a heavier weight jack so that if tyre changes were necessary they could do them quicker. But really we just went through the cars. They were completely stripped and re-built in preparation for the event. ADR's goal was to give Guy and Gwyndaf a reliable car to get them around that event, which is effectively two-and-a-half if not three BRC events in one.
Crash.net:
I've heard rumours that the Lancers were quite a bit heaver for Rally GB, is that correct?
PB:
Well, heavier in that they were carrying a lot more equipment. If they were in their normal BRC preparation state then no, they wouldn't have been any heavier than the normal car. But we put a lot of extra equipment in the car to help the drivers deal with any eventualities that occurred during the stage. Because obviously with the stages being so long, if you need to stop and change a tyre, you need to be able to do that quicker than normal.
Crash.net:
The figure I heard was 100 kilograms, is that right?
PB:
No, no. I don't think so.
Crash.net:
What are the plans now for the off season and 2008?
PB:
We've obviously got Phil Morrow in the car for the Evo Challenge prize drive and we're talking to people about the second seat and we'll be out with two Evo IXs doing the BRC again.
