IRC Cyprus pre-event press conference

Intercontinental Rally Challenge regular Andreas Mikkelsen and IRC 2WD Cup contender Harry Hunt attended the FxPro Cyprus Rally pre-event press conference and were joined by Middle East championship frontrunner and top seed Nasser Al-Attiyah, plus co-drivers Nicola Arena and Nick Beech, who were representing Misfer Almari and Khalid Al-Suwaidi respectively.

Andreas Mikkelsen:

Q: You come to Cyprus on the back of finishing second on RACMSA Rally of Scotland last month. How confident are you of a strong result here:

A: “I don’t know! I’ve done the recce and they are roads that I have never been through before. The Tarmac is like Catalunya in places very rough compared to Turkey, which I have done before. Doing Tarmac on gravel tyres is very difficult but I’m looking forward to it although I know it’s going to be very challenging.”

Q: What is going to be the biggest challenge on this rally?

A: “It’s definitely going to be to make the tyres last on Tarmac because the gravel tyres will heat up. We’ve also got to avoid punctures because there are some big rocks. If you can do that then you can look for a high place in the final result. Your pacenotes also need to be very accurate to go flat out. Even though it’s our first time here I think we’ve made some good pacenotes.”

Harry Hunt:

Q: How does the fact this is a mixed-surface event affect your approach in a two-wheel drive car?

A: “It should be okay although the tyre choice will be quite crucial. The tyres perform better on Tarmac if they’re scrubbed and it’s possible to swap the rear tyres to the front tyres because there’s not much wear normally.”

Q: It’s pretty warm in Cyprus – how will you cope with the heat?

A: “I’ve just been doing as much fitness as possible. You’ve also got to keep drinking as much water to stay hydrated and focussed.”

Q: You rally all over the world – what do you think of Cyprus?

A: “It’s amazing! Having the service area close to town is nice. The stages are really good and the people are really nice. I actually prefer the hot climate.”

Nasser Al-Attiyah:

Q: How much of an advantage do you think your experience gives you?

A: “We have a very good advantage here because we have a lot of experience from doing the Cyprus Rally and the Troodos Rally also. We test yesterday for the first time here with the Fiesta and it looks like it’s going very well. We will try our best for this race but the problem will be tyre choice because with mixed Tarmac and gravel it will be not easy. Every driver will put in some strategy. We will try to do a good job because this race is very important for the Middle East championship.”

Q: What will your strategy be?

A: “We come here to win the race. There are really good drivers here from the IRC so it will be a very interesting race both physically and mentally. I try to do my best and use all my experience to win this race.”

Q: How does the Fiesta compare to the Subaru you used to use here?

A: “It’s a big difference and it’s better. The Group N car has a good speed in a straight line but a Super 2000 is a very strong car. I hope we don’t get any problems because it will be very tough. It’s the first time we’ve used this car in a slow rally. It’s going to be interesting for everybody.”

Nicola Arena:

Q: Nasser is 10 points behind you in the Middle East championship. How will that affect your strategy?

A: “Nasser is the logical favourite to win the Middle East event and probably the whole rally. For us at the moment the situation in the championship means we just want to score important points by finishing behind Nasser and ahead of the other registered drivers. We won’t take any big risks. We will just try to be concentrated. He has to catch us so we just do our job quietly.”

Q: Misfer says he likes this rally – why do you think that is?

A: “Misfer is much more use to open spaces on desert rallies and there are some open sections here. He’s got some good results in Cyprus so far but this year the rally has changed a lot because of the Tarmac parts. Of course the rally will be different for Misfer because he is not used to drive on Tarmac on gravel tyres but I hope we can be on a good level.”

Nick Beech:

Q: The attention will be on Misfer and Nasser’s battle. An opportunity, perhaps, for you and Khalid to take advantage of any mistakes they might make?

A: “There is an opportunity but it’s been an up and down season and we’re just here to learn and develop him. This is a really hard rally mentally and physically on the body. For us third position will be a good result but it’s a hard rally so we’ll see what comes.”

Q: Rallies in Cyprus have a reputation for being friendly and welcoming. How important is that when you travel long distances to part in events?

A: “Logistics are a massive part of rallying and in general it can be quite a stressful sport. Just to have friendly faces makes it as relaxed as you can be and that helps an awful lot.”