"I don't recall too many specific details of the roads but the stages in the first leg are the same as the ones I drove in 2005 so I have the pace notes already and they should just need checking,” he added.
“The rally will be similar to Norway where nobody held an advantage through years of experience of the stages. Things will be more level and that should help me. I won in Norway so a repeat in Portugal would suit me perfectly!"
OMV Kronos Citroen WRT:
[Manfred Stohl, car #5 [and Daniel Carlsson, car #6]].
Daniel Carlsson returns to the OMV Kronos line-up this weekend and he has said that he is glad that he will be getting going again in Portugal, after having to sit out the Rally Mexico, as it wasn’t one of his scheduled events.
Carlsson’s last outing was in Norway and after having scored points there and in Sweden, he will be hoping to replicate that form in the Algarve and make it three points’ finishes from three. The 30-year-old won the Rally Portugal candidate event in 2005 and that experience should be of benefit, even though it was in a Group N car.
“I am very glad that we get going again. We obviously have a small advantage in Portugal since we already have competed there and know that we can be very fast. There is nevertheless a difference when you steer a group N car as I did in 2005 or compete in a World Rally Car like I will this year,” he noted.
“I believe it will be most important for us to cross the finish line in order to score points for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ ranking.“
Carlsson’s team-mate, Manfred Stohl meanwhile is also feeling bullish and reckons that he can also conclude the event in the top eight. Indeed the Portuguese event use to be one of his favourites and he competed on the ‘old’ edition six times.
Furthermore after his best finish of the season in Mexico, when he came home sixth overall, the Austrian is feeling more and more confident with the Xsara WRC.
