“I think I need to look ahead now,” he noted. “It’s clear that the three last events have been really difficult. In Finland, I went off, then in Japan our mistake with our seatbelts not fastened properly and then Cyprus… Really, I still can’t explain myself what happened there and what went through my mind. I hope just everything is going to be back to normal. I feared it would have been weird to get back behind the wheel in Turkey, but fortunately I have had two days testing with
Citroen Sport, which really helped. I feel much better and have more confidence.”
BP Ford:
[Marcus Gronholm, car #3 and
Mikko Hirvonen, car #4.]
Marcus Gronholm has been handed an outside chance to take the title, following Sebastien Loeb’s mountain bike accident. Although the Finn trails the Frenchman by 35 points, it is currently uncertain when Seb will return, and although he looks likely to be back for the final two events in New Zealand and Britain, assuming Gronholm can win in Turkey this weekend and in Australia at the end of the month, that would cut the gap to 15 points. As such Marcus’ title prospects would be given a big boost, although admittedly he would still be on the back-foot.
"I'm not really thinking about the drivers' championship at the moment," said Gronholm. "I will be driving in Turkey to win the rally and then I will go to Australia to try to do the same. I will try to avoid problems, avoid mistakes and then if everything goes well I hope to win this rally. If we keep clear of big problems for the rest of the season then we have a very good chance of winning a championship - and the manufacturers' title still looks our best option.”
As for Turkey itself, Gronholm is hoping the weather forecast is wrong, as he would definitely like it to stay dry: "The roads here are not as rough as Greece and Cyprus. They can be rocky in places but unless it rains they are good to drive. If it is wet, they quickly become horrible and muddy and that can be tricky if we're not expecting it," he added.
