PM:
It is the second season from hell as we call it - or the second non-competitive season. As ever we are changing the car constantly. The last test we did last weekend was very good and it feels very nice in testing. But when we get to the events it seems that Ford and
Citroen have got the upper hand on us. There cars are a totally different concept car to our car, which is quite an old concept now and it is just starting to show its age a little bit really in comparison. Testing went really well last week and we are testing again this week and we will just have to see how it goes. I don’t think we are in a position to go to Spain and fight for a win but I certainly think we are in a position to go there and fight for somewhere around the podium.
Crash.net:
It has been quite strange this season, because every time you think Subaru have turned the corner and have a good event it is always followed by a bad one.
PM:
That seems to be the picture doesn’t it? Greece was very good. It suited us really well and we drove well. The car stood up to it really well too and then we went to the next event and it was a big flop. Finland was obviously the biggest disaster we have ever had in the team what with having to withdraw from the rally. But as I say testing has not been so bad. The tarmac test was very good, the gravel test wasn’t quite as good as the tarmac, but we are just open-minded. If we can just get onto the podium we will be happy.
Crash.net:
Has this season put an extra pressure on your relationship with Petter?
PM:
It doesn’t put any extra pressure on it at all. We do go with the attitude of winning events but we are not in the position to do that at the moment. It will turn around though. We have got a new car in the workshop now and we are only a few months away from testing it. That is a new concept car, like the other two cars I just mentioned. We have got lots and lots to look forward to. All sorts of modifications are coming along. We are looking forward to the future very much.
Crash.net:
There has been speculation that Petter might leave
Subaru. Can you shed any light on that?
PM:
There is a very simple answer to that. We are contracted until the end of 2009 with Subaru and I don’t know where these rumours come from. But we have shown commitment to Subaru by signing a three-year deal eight or nine months ago and there are no changes to that deal at all. We are committed until the end of 2009 and that is the end of that. These rumours are great I suppose from a press point of view but I really don’t know where they start.
Crash.net:
When will Petter get to test the new car?
PM:
The plan is to start testing it the first or second week of December. In real terms that is not many weeks away. It is a body-shell at the minute but the body-shell is the hardest bit. Putting the bits in after that isn’t so bad.
Crash.net:
What are you hoping to do in the final five events of the year, is it just to try and get a podium perhaps?
PM:
Realistically if we can sniff around the podium and stand on the podium in any position we would be more than happy - especially after what we have been through in the last two years.
