Loix: set-up changes transformed rally

Freddy Loix has revealed how a raft of set-up changes during midday service on Barum Czech Rally Zlín yesterday enabled him to go on “maximum attack” on the final four stages of day one.

Loix, in a BFO-ŠKODA Rally Team Fabia Super 2000, was fastest on three of the four stages alongside co-driver Frédéric Miclotte. His performance has brought him back into contention for a podium finish after he had struggled to make an impact on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event.

He explained: “First I put some hard compound tyres of course but also my car was much too soft for the first run through. My test was not so good here because the road was bad. The first three or four stages were a little bit like a test and we knew exactly what we should change and we did it on the service.

“The harder compound gave me more preciseness on driving but we changed the shocks in the front and something also in the rear and straight away I had a fantastic feeling after the first stage after service. I have to say it was one of my better drives on the last three or four months we did on the last three stages.

Loix, from Belgium, said he had been on “maximum attack” on Saturday afternoon.

“When I came to the end of the long Troják stage and we had the exact same time as Jan [Kopecký] it was amazing because Jan of course knows this stage very well. We had a fantastic drive on the stage after and I was one second in front of Juho at the middle part so I pushed like hell from the middle part to the end.”

Asked about his decision to run soft compound tyres for the morning stages, Loix said: “On paper this morning it was not that warm. We put new tyres on the the front for the long stage but in reality it was not working.”