Crash.net:
You've been doing the Chinese Rally Championship again and that has got off to a good start too hasn't it, with that win on the Shanghai Rally?
DH:
That was a fantastic result. We went out there and jumped in the car and it felt like putting on an old pair of slippers. The team has obviously moved forward because in China, like everywhere else, you can't afford to stand still and sit on your laurels. The competition is getting stronger and there are more teams out there now. The cars are all of a very high standard. But we went out there and we had a good first couple of groups of stages, which gave us quite a good lead. We were then able to control the rally pretty much from there onwards. I think we won every stage bar one. It was a great way to start that championship. I don't think anyone else has won a rally there now except me for 16 months. That is quite a good record to have although there was some very sad news a few weeks ago when one of our rivals was killed in an off-road Dakar type event. That was a big shame.
Crash.net:
Have you got anything else lined-up for this year in addition to your planned commitments in the BRC and CRC?
DH:
We almost went to Bulgaria. But that just didn't quite come together. There is a lot going on. When I get back from the Isle of Man I am home for two days and then I go off to Indonesia to do some driver training and some testing out there for the team. These are all the sort of little things that can potentially lead to other drives. But at the moment I am busy enough with what I have got on and although it would be good to do some more, I am conscious if you do more rallies, it is more running costs, more wear and tear and you can very easily take your eye off the ball of doing well in the BRC. We are certainly thinking of maybe doing an event like the Bulldog or something at the end of the year in preparation for Rally GB. That is one of the plans we have in place. We just have to see how the cars are at that time of the year.
Crash.net:
What have you made of the WRC this season?
DH:
It has been great. It is good to see some competition for Sebastien [Loeb]. Obviously it is all up and down. I think the new regulations of not letting the best drivers always have the best road position, has really spiced the championship up. The tactics side of it and the fact you can use your head a little bit to determine the rally, while obviously some people are critical of it, I think it is a great thing. It certainly makes the competition much closer because if you put Sebastien eighth on the road for most of the championship no one is going to beat him. It is a good way of closing things up and giving other people a chance and bringing some other names forward.
