Despite his wealth of experience on the event though, Gronholm is more than aware that even a slight lapse could prove critical, as it is such a high-speed event: "I know the stages well but that doesn't mean I'm able to lower my concentration. The speeds are so high that just a small mistake can be extremely costly. If you take the wrong line over a crest or into a bend and have to brake where normally you wouldn't, then it takes so much longer to regain the momentum than on slower rallies. It's crucial to drive cleanly," he added.
Gronholm’s team-mate,
Mikko Hirvonen meanwhile has refused to reveal what result he is aiming for - although he is extremely excited about the prospect of competing in front of his home crowd.
"I just can't wait for the start," said Hirvonen. "The rally is so fast and the roads are such great fun to drive. The jumps are massive and it's a great feeling to be behind the wheel of a car that is flying sideways through the air at top speed. I have my targets for the weekend but I'm keeping those to myself. All I will say is that it's a shame for me that Marcus will be in the same car because in Finland he is the man to beat."
Subaru World Rally Team:
[
Petter Solberg, car #5 and
Chris Atkinson, car #6.]
Petter Solberg reckons they have
got to perform on the Rally Finland, after another disappointing outing on the Rallye Deutschland, which ended in retirement after the Norwegian had engine problems.
Speaking in the build-up to the event, which he has competed on seven times before, ‘Hollywood’ said they could do with a win to boost morale.
"In Finland I’m just going to be patient from the start and do a little fine-tuning as we go on," he noted. "We’ve now got to show we can perform, and there’s some pressure on all of us to make things work. I hope we will be fast enough to fight for the win – I’ve been second and third before and know the event very well. I want a good result for the people back in the factory – they are working flat out."
