San Marino - IRC news before SS5

Q&A: Patrik Flodin

Patrik Flodin had been tipped for his first Intercontinental Rally Challenge podium on Rally San Marino only for a technical failure to halt his charge for PS Engineering.

What exactly happened?

“It was something with the water pump. Halfway through the first stage it stopped working and then the engine began to overheat. When we got to the end of the stage we knew that there was no chance to continue.”

How did you feel when you realised your rally was over?

“I was thinking ‘oh no, how could this happen’. It was a rally that I was really looking forward to getting a good result on. It’s very nice to be back on gravel and the car was fantastic to drive.”

So it’s a really frustrating time right now?

“The big shame is that we have no idea what our pace was because we have no split times after we were stuck behind the car that blocked the stage and then got delayed in the dust of another car.”

The fact that the Sibiu Rally in Romania, another gravel event, is next must offer some relief?

“That’s the good thing but it would have been better to have arrived there with a strong result, that was the plan.”

Who do you think will win the rally now?

“It looks like it will be a tight battle but Andreas Mikkelsen will be the strongest. It’s a shame I’m not in the fight, that would have been nice.”

Tyre management skills please IRC 2WD Cup star Hunt

Harry Hunt says one of the most pleasing aspects of his performance so far on Rally San Marino has been the way he has managed his car and tyres through the tricky gravel stages.

Briton Hunt and co-driver Robbie Durant lead the IRC 2WD Cup division by almost one minute prior to the all-asphalt San Marino stage tonight following an error-free showing in their I-Cars Motorsport Citroën DS3 R3T.

“The temperatures were a lot hotter this afternoon,” said Hunt following stage four. “With so many corners I really thought the tyres would [lose performance] much more but I was able to manage the tyres, which I’m pleased about. The roads have been hard on the car but we’ve not done too bad so far.”

Bonnefis aims for mistake-free second day

Germain Bonnefis wants to complete day two of Rally San Marino without making a single mistake in the Peugeot Sport 207 Super 2000 he shares with co-driver Olivier Fournier.

Bonnefis, a highly-rated young driver from France, is competing outside of his homeland for the first time as he makes his Intercontinental Rally Challenge debut.

“I improve with every kilometre and tomorrow is another important day,” said the 25-year-old. “Today I did a lot of error and tomorrow I would like nothing.”

Bonnefis dropped out of contention for a points finish when a fuel pressure problem left him stranded on the opening stage for more than seven minutes. He languishes in 21st overall after four special stages.

Nikara wants to win IRC Production Cup for team

Jarkko Nikara will do all he can to uphold Tommi Mäkinen Racing team honour on Rally San Marino after the Finnish squad’s lead driver Toshi Arai retired with a mechanical failure after three stages.

Arai was trailing Nikara in the IRC Production Cup battle when he retired but his exit has left the young Finn with a commanding advantage of more than two minutes over Maurizio Angrisani heading to Friday night’s San Marino street stage.

“I am now the only one for the team so I try to come to the finish,” said Nikara. “I plan to keep the same pace but still there are many stages left. I’ve made no mistakes and have had a clean run although it’s been very hot inside the car today.”

Arai’s Subaru Impreza R4 STI suffered a ball joint failure on the road section to stage four this afternoon. He is the reigning IRC Production Cup champion.

Puskadi targets more San Marino form gain

János Puskádi plans to continue improving on day two of Rally San Marino, his first start on gravel in his Eurosol Racing Team ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000.

The Hungarian is 11th overall after losing ground with an overshoot on Friday’s opening stage. After making adjustments to his pacenotes and car set-up Puskádi is determined to make more progress.

“I feel even more comfortable in the car and I’m learning a lot,” said the former IRC 2WD Cup title contender. “Tomorrow I want to keep improving.”

Before then Puskádi and his Intercontinental Rally Challenge rivals will tackle the 6.43-kilometre all-asphalt San Marino stage, which gets underway at 21:32hrs local time tonight.

“It’s only six kilometres long so it’s not so important for the rally but I will be using a special gravel tyre, which is smaller to provide better grip,” he said.