Subaru's
Chris Atkinson has revealed that he is happy with how things went with new co-driver, Stephane Prevot on the Rally Argentina, their first event together.
Atkinson, who split with former ‘partner' Glenn Macneall following the Rally de Portugal at the start of last month, eventually finished seventh overall, 19.8 seconds behind
Daniel Sordo, having been overhauled by the Spaniard in the final ‘proper' test.
Speaking at the finish, Chris had mixed feelings though, especially as he never really felt comfortable with the Impreza WRC2007.
“It's good to have completed the event in the points. Stephane and I are working well together in the car, but it's hard not to get frustrated with the speed when I know I can go quicker,” he stated.
“Even though we managed to set some reasonable times on the first couple of stages today I know I could have been faster if I had more confidence in the handling of the car.
“We made some positive steps at the recent test but there's still work to do before we unlock the potential of this car. We'll keep on working and hope for a better story in Sardinia.”
Subaru WRT managing director, Richard Taylor meanwhile was disappointed to see Atkinson slip back in SS21 and SS22, especially as he had set the third best times in SS19 and SS20, something that hauled him up to fifth overall.
“Today has been a frustrating one for Chris. He had a couple of good times early on, but the car didn't feel right under him and he dropped a couple of places later on,” he added. “We have learned some lessons here, and we'll use that information to help us improve the car before the next event in Sardinia."
For the record, Atkinson's team-mate,
Petter Solberg did not finish the event. Solberg went out on the penultimate stage on Saturday with engine problems. The Norwegian had been running comfortably in third and on course for the final place on the podium.
