Oliveira positive after Finland debut

Brazil World Rally Team’s Daniel Oliveira says crossing the finishing ramp of Neste Oil Rally Finland in Jyvaskyla on Saturday night was a very positive experience.

The 26-year-old Finland rookie was classified 49th after restarting the final day of the gravel event under SupeRally regulations after going off the road on the ninth stage on Friday at the wheel of his Prodrive-run MINI John Cooper Works WRC.

“We are really happy and we finished with a great feeling for being able to complete one of the most difficult and technical rallies,” said Oliveira. “This last day was really positive for us. There was only a minor technical issue on stage 18 that delayed us a bit, but we haven’t made any mistake and we were able to improve our times throughout the day.”

He continued: “We are leaving Finland with a very positive result and we learned a lot that will be useful in the rounds to come. I must congratulate all the team members for the job they did from the test ahead of this rally and during the weekend.”

Oliveira, who is co-driven by Portugal’s Carlos Magalhaes, explained the circumstances surrounding his exit on Friday.

“We started the day in a pretty calm way, I think much calmer than we expected,” said the Brazilian. “After the midday service we were back on the road in high spirits and with a great pace; however, a minor mistake on stage nine when trying to land the car after taking a crest sent us off the road and we ended up stuck in a ditch. There were a lot of people in that place who tried to help us to put the car back on the road but it was impossible. Luckily nothing happened to the car.”