by Rob Wilkins


Manfred Stohl has admitted that he needs a bit of a break now, in order to get ready for 2007, when he will again compete in all 16-events, having inked a deal with OMV Kronos.

Stohl enjoyed a strong finish to the 2006 season, taking three podiums on the trot in Australia, NZ and Wales, and securing fourth spot in the drivers' championship. Having travelled all round the world though, from Monte Carlo, to Mexico, to Argentina, to Japan and so on, he is looking forward to Christmas and the chance to put his feet up. Indeed 2006 was an historic year for the Austrian as it was his first doing all the events and he passed the 100 marker, when he took his Bozian-run Peugeot 307 WRC car to fourth in Argentina.

"I need two weeks break now and then I can get motivated for next year. Christmas and New Year is very important - just being at home with my family will be great," he told Crash.net Radio earlier this month.

"It was a fantastic season. There is nothing more that I can say [about 06]. At the beginning of the season, everybody said it was impossible to make with the Peugeot 307 any quick runs or make a good season. But basically we have made a fantastic season and there was nothing more I could expect. I have felt confident in the team and with the car."

Asked about his highs and lows, unsurprisingly he pointed to his podiums as the best bit, while he reckoned the Acropolis was probably the toughest event, the only one of the 16 rounds that he did not finish on.

"It was fantastic this year. We took four podiums but we could have had more. We were just 15 seconds off the podium on two occasions - and we were unlucky with punctures and things like this too.

"It is hard to say for sure [what was the low] though. Greece was a bit unlucky - we were good in the rally and then we had a little technical problem. But my mechanics managed to repair it in the service with a little penalty - and then when we started the next stage there was again some problem and I couldn't concentrate. Then I rolled the car. It was not so nice. But all-in-all I am quite pleased with the season," he concluded.