"Turkey is another new event for me, but hopefully I can use all my Cyprus experience, both good and bad, to help me on this one," explained the 19-year-old. "I’m happy with the set-up we finished with on Sunday in Cyprus and I think we can start with that here and use it to our advantage. So much happened to us in Cyprus that it would have been easy to put our heads down and give up. We didn’t though and got a point for the team so it just shows what a positive attitude can do. I’m looking forward to Turkey."
Kosti Katajamaki meanwhile returns to the fold in the second
Stobart VK-backed 2004 spec. Ford Focus. This will be Katajamaki’s fifth and final appearance this year with Ford’s ‘B’ team, his best result thus far a sixth place finish on his first outing in Sweden back in February. Since then he hasn’t done quite so well however, crashing out in Sardinia on day two and finishing 26th in Greece and 14th in Finland at the end of August. As such he will be keen to go out on a high, to try and strengthen his position for next season.
“I’m really looking forward to this rally. My last rally for the team was in August on my home event in Finland,” he noted. “The stages in Turkey are very difficult but I will be glad to be back in the car again and will be trying very hard to get some points.”
Katajamaki, who is mentored by Marcus Gronholm, has competed in Turkey twice to date - both times in a less powerful Super 1600 car and both times finishing second in this category: “My experience here from two years ago should help as most of the stages remain the same, we will see how it goes,” he added.
Red Bull Skoda:
[Harri Rovanpera, car #11 and Andreas Aigner, car #12]
Red Bull Skoda conducted a special test on Monday to try and resolve the issues that led to their double retirement after the opening stage in Cyprus three weeks ago. The ‘additional performance checks’ will be crucial for the Austrian-based outfit, ahead of this weekend’s Rally of Turkey, their penultimate event in this year’s
FIA World Rally Championship and one that is similar in nature to the one on the ‘Island of Aphrodite’ at the end of last month.
