by Rob Wilkins
Stobart Ford's
Gigi Galli has set his sights on getting onto the podium again in the second half of the season - and he believes it may even be possible for him to win.
The World Rally Championship is currently in the midst of its long summer break and while Gigi had a disappointing end to the first part of the year and failed to finish in Greece and Turkey, overall he was happy with his form during the opening eight rounds.
Indeed he managed to score points in five events in total, including taking third in Sweden - what was only his second event with the M-Sport-run outfit. Thus far he has 17 points on the board and he is currently the top Stobart driver in the drivers' championship, in seventh place overall, 1 point up on his team-mate,
Henning Solberg.
“I am just so pleased because we have done generally what we planned,” he told
Crash.net Radio. “When we spoke about the championship at the start of the year we were so happy to have this chance to drive for Ford. We had a plan to start the season quite carefully and to improve our confidence with the car. After the first few events we wanted to try to push a little bit more - and this is what we did.
“Until Sardinia the speed wasn't that good. Okay we had a good performance in Sweden and got a podium but to be honest we were a little bit lucky because some of my rivals had some troubles. It was not a real podium. But after Jordan we saw some good speed in some stages and in Sardinia we had a good result [and finished fourth].
“Of course we had some bad luck in Greece and in Turkey. In Greece we had a problem with a stone and in Turkey we had a problem with the car [and then I was sidelined by dehydration]. But it is okay.
“I am so happy because we found a good pace. Now all we need is just a bit of luck to be consistent.”
Asked what he wants to achieve following the mid-season break, Gigi added that he wants to try and help the Stobart team finish third in the manufacturers' championship ahead of
Subaru. He is also keen to try and get on the rostrum again and reckons the Rally New Zealand could really suit him – even if he has only done it twice, the last time back in 2005.
