SL:
I don't know, last year I lost
! There's no secret. When it's a big camber, you need to stay on the inside at the exit of the corner. It's a question of feeling. Some time on the brakes, you have camber and you need to be careful, it's easy to lock a brake and it's tough to turn. It's a nice feeling to jump from one corner to another.
Q:
Is this an event where you have to win?
SL:
No. It would be good to finish in front of Mikko. But, except for that, nothing is important. It's important not to lose the four point lead. We are at a moment when it's important to finish. If I retire, he can lead by six points, if it's him then the Championship can almost be decided. We will see.
Q:
The team are talking about this event as a target rally, one they want you or Petter to win. Is that an achievable goal?
Chris Atkinson:
I'd like to think so. We need to start winning. We've been pushing all year. Most of the time we try and drive fast. That's what you do at these events, but maybe we have to take more risks.
Q:
It's a special weekend for the team, as it marks the 15th anniversary of the first win of the
Subaru in the hands of
Colin McRae. Is there extra pressure?
CA:
It's important. But I didn't know anything about rallying 15 years ago. We want to win. We haven't won for three or four years. Colin winning 15 years ago is a big thing, if we did it this time, I'm sure there would be a big party. The team needs to win.
Q:
What do you think about the new car after its performance on both gravel and asphalt?
CA:
It takes time. You know, these guys around me have been in their cars for a lot more time, we've only had a few days testing. We need to accelerate the development and push as hard as we can.
Q:
The winter weather has been particularly bad in this area and has affected some of the stages. How did you find them on the recce? How do you think they will hold up during the weekend?
CA:
Generally it's not too bad. Occasionally, they've had to fill in the road or put more gravel down in some places that's been spread by road works through the stage. In terms of road damage it's not bad, there are a few landslips, but nothing special. You don't have to drive too differently and we haven't had to make any major changes to our notes.
