“Unlike last year, I will be second on the road on Day 1 and that will enable us to see Marcus's lines. That's always a plus. Our situation isn't easy but it could all change very quickly because Marcus isn't immune from making a mistake either!”
Loeb’s team-mate,
Daniel Sordo meanwhile has said that while he wants to finish as close as possible to the front runners this weekend, he won’t be out to keep up with them at all costs.
Sordo has only competed on the Rally Finland twice to date - and while he won the Junior category in 2005, he didn’t do so well last season and crashed out on the Saturday on the second run through the Ouninpohja Lansi stage, while running fifth overall.
Furthermore while he did the O.K. Auto-Ralli at the start of July, that event ended on a sour note too, when he went off the road on SS5 due to an ‘ill-judged pace note’.
"The locals learned to drive on these roads. They know them by heart and that's a big advantage. This is actually only my second attempt at this event in a WRC car. It's a rally that calls for considerable experience if you're looking to finish on the podium. That won't be my case this year,” he noted.
“I do like the stages, though, but that goes for any rally driver. They're fast and call for long power-slides, not to mention the jumps - fantastic! They also demand total concentration however, as well as good notes so that you never find yourself having to hesitate.
“The O.K. Ralli at the beginning of July helped me gain extra experience of the terrain, but the level of the competition will be completely different in Jyväskylä. I won't be out to keep up with the front runners at all costs. I will endeavour to finish as close to them as possible in order to come away with manufacturers' points for
Citroen,” he summed-up.
BP Ford WRT:
[Marcus Gronholm, car #3 and
Mikko Hirvonen, car #4 [and
Khalid Al Qassimi, car #25 - not nominated for points]]
Marcus Gronholm has said that he is 'confident' he can win his home event this coming weekend and further extend his lead in the race for the 2007 drivers' title.
