Q&A: Jean-Pierre Nicolas

"There is a real buzz to the atmosphere here"

By Franck Drui

4 January 2013 - 22:09
Q&A: Jean-Pierre Nicolas

At the end of the first day of competition in the new-look FIA European Rally Championship, ERC General Co-ordinator and former international rally driver Jean-Pierre Nicolas (left) reflects on a fascinating day of action in Austria.

Does the European championship already feel different this year?

“Definitely: there is a real buzz to the atmosphere here. A lot of that is down the quality of the field – teams like MINI and Kronos, and drivers of the calibre of François Delecour and Bryan Bouffier – as well as the great fight for the lead. There’s a real feeling that this is the start of something new and very exciting.”

How good do these stages look on television?

“The television coverage is one of the things that people are very excited about and the stages look very nice. We’ve had some fog today, which means that the helicopter could only film about half of what was planned, but the footage from inside the cars and beside the stages really shows just how demanding and dramatic this rally is, and I am sure the viewers at home will appreciate that.”

With tricky tyre choices and uncertain weather, does this feel a bit like Rallye Monte-Carlo?

“It’s definitely in the style of Monte Carlo but the tyre choice here has actually been more complicated because there are more types of tyre available: both wide and narrow tyres, with and without studs. So it’s really, really hard for the teams and drivers to decide, given the huge range of conditions that we have seen today – from snow to slush to rain. What’s interesting is that although there have been some quite different strategies, the battle is still very close.”

Which driver has impressed you most today?

“Leaving aside the obvious people who were always going to be impressive, like Kopecký and Bouffier, I’ve been really impressed by the local Mitsubishis and Subarus and how close they have been able to get to the established big stars. Kajetanowicz in the Subaru has done a great job too.”

How do you expect the conditions to be tomorrow?

“The reports that I’ve seen suggest that it will be a bit warmer with some more rain. I’m sure that the conditions will be very tricky once more, but hopefully there will still be some snow left, just to make it even more interesting!”

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