SL:
The time you lose in the first two days you will have to catch up again, so we will have to fight from the start to the end. Sunday is a difficult day. We will do the long stage two times and it will be slippery with lots of gravel. Being first on the road may well be a problem. We will see.
Q:
How hot was it during the recce – what will you be doing this weekend to deal with the heat?
SL:
We will not do a lot. I will drink a lot and try to eat some salt and some minerals and be fit. After that there is no air conditioning in the cars, only the air from the air intake. It is really hot - 45 (degrees Centigrade) outside and 45-degree air into the intake can be difficult.
Q:
Leading the Championship means you will be first on the road. With what you have seen during the recce how much of a disadvantage will it be?
SL:
The key to success is to finish and keep the car on the road. It is easy to make a mistake. There are a lot of blind corners, sometimes very fast and the grip is changing. But it’s a bit like Tarmac. Sometimes there is gravel on the top, which is slippery and the grip is changing. It is always important to win. If I feel I can fight for victory I will try, if not I will try and save my position.
Q:
Henning, you have no experience of rallies within the Middle East, but your engineer Ian Davies has a huge amount experience of this terrain. How much will that help you this weekend?
Henning Solberg:
On this event I have to listen to him for a change! He knows a lot about the stages. He warned me about the stones coming out of the road. The first car out on the road will be cutting up so many loose stones. It will be difficult for the cars behind.
Q:
Looking back at your season so far how would you assess your performance?
HS:
Not very well so far. My speed is better and better every event. I try to go out and not think about the Championship and try to find a good pace. I have pushed more before and I crashed in Sweden, a heavy crash. That can happen in rallying when you want to get the speed. The bad thing is that I have a better feeling now…
Q:
Historically you have done well on ‘new’ events; are you confident you can achieve a good result here?
HS:
I hope so. It is a very difficult rally. You cannot see the road and you must listen to the pace notes. You cannot attack with a slide because there is a stone there. The man who listens to the pace notes will be the fastest.
