Car 1, Ogier/Ingrassia
“Everything Ok now. The pressure is on – the others are quite fast and I think will be faster – it is a little damp, so with the soft tyre, they may be faster. It was not easy with our [hard] tyres. No moments – there is just less traction.”
Car 3, Meeke/Nagle
“No moments. It's very rutted and you're using the ruts to carry some speed so maybe that’s what happened [dislodged front tyre]. It is impossible to change the notes in the stage – we need to do something with them for next year. I’m very happy though.”
Car 4, Ostberg/Anderson
“It was quite a good stage. I was really slow on the previous stage and don't know why. This one was good, so hopefully we can take some time back from the others”
Car 5, Hirvonen/Lehtinen
“It has been a good day so far. But we have a different tyre choice. We won a bit here but the next one will be tough. Long and fast and quite dry this morning.”
Car 7, Neuville/Gilsoul
“I see the conditions were OK for my tier choice so I pushed quite hard. It was a good time. There is still work to do but it is motivating to see the good times this morning.”
Car 8, Hänninen/Tuominen
“We put hard tyres on the front and was good in the dry but slippery when it was wet. Dani made a good time and we lost a bit. We will see how the next one is.”
Car 9, Mikkelsen/ Markkula
“It is better. I am struggling with massive understeer – I cannot get the car to turn in. But it is better than this morning and I don't feel confident. I need it to go fast. I don't have it at the moment but hopefully we can get it.”
Car 11, Tanak/Molder
“Now we put on two hards for the last stage and see what happens. Ok, still we are close enough to the other guys and think we managed the tyres well for the last one.”
Car 12, Al Qassimi/ Patterson
“We made some big cuts and there are a lot of rocks in there. If you have the car set-up well, it will work. We need to work more on the feeling, though.”
Car 20, Sordo/Marti
“I think I lost a tyre or something. I think there is a problem with the tyre for the steering”
Car 21, Prokop/Tománek
“It is difficult to say if we are OK. Sometimes the soft tyres aren't good but sometimes it is slippery and they work well. Really not easy conditions. I am happy with the handling of the car.”
Car 32, Protasov/Cherepin
“We have broken the suspension arm. We might change and go.”
Car 35, Ketomaa/Lindstrom
“There are a few places where it is still very slippery. Everything is going Ok at the moment. I think it will be a rally-long fight with Nasser but we must see where we are on Sunday afternoon.”
Car 36, Barrable/Loudon
“I had hard tyres and now, I must swap to softs for the last stage.”
Car 38, Ahlin/Abrahamsen
“I am still feeling ill but a bit better – I managed to eat earlier so better. ”
Car 40, Al-Attiyah/Bernacchini
“The stage wasn’t easy because there are now lots of rocks in the road, so it was difficult. I changed the set-up a little and now, it is a bit different and I must get used to it.”
Car 41, Fuchs/ Mussano
“It was a very good stage, not too many rocks so pretty good. ”
Car 43, Sousa/Magalhães
“I had no problems in this stage but on the previous one, I hit a bank and got a puncture. But this one was perfect.”
Car 44, Maurin/Klinger
“I had a good feeling and now, I understand the car a bit better. I can push and drive gravel style.”
Car 47, Al-Kuwari/ Duffy
“I had no problems. The stage is a bit rough but everything is fine.”
Car 70, Kruuda/Jäveoja
“I didn't lose too much time behind Yuri [Protasov]. The stage was rough so I decided not to push too hard, after Yuri went out. Unbelievable.”
Hyundai Motorsport has today announced Finnish driver Juho Hänninen as one of the team’s test drivers for 2013, ending weeks of speculation over the mystery man behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 WRC in May.
Hyundai Motorsport has been building up its new operation from scratch since the start of the year, establishing the team at a dedicated facility in Alzenau, Germany and recruiting specialists at every level of its organisation.
Test drivers are an integral part of the team’s development programme, requiring the necessary skills and experience to develop a competitive and reliable rally car in a short space of time.
Six months ahead of the debut at Rallye Monte-Carlo in January 2014, Hyundai Motorsport is in the process of carrying out an intensive test programme to evaluate and develop the i20 WRC on all terrains and conditions.
Hänninen won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2010 followed by the FIA Super 2000 World Rally Championship and the FIA European Rally Championship titles in 2011 and 2012 respectively. He will be a valuable asset for the team to prepare the assault to the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship.
Hyundai Motorsport will soon be in a position to announce a second test driver for the remainder of the 2013 test phase. 2014 drivers will be announced at the end of the year.
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “We’re very pleased to welcome Juho on board for our 2013 test programme. I’m sure his experience and background will contribute to the project and I’m happy with the job he’s done so far.
We have decided to work with different drivers with unique skills and capabilities this year, which will provide us with valuable feedback for 2014.
Hänninen said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Hyundai Motorsport testing programme for this year. It’s a fantastic opportunity to work closely to a manufacturer and to give my contribution to this great challenge.
The first run with the i20 WRC was quite positive for me; I’m very impressed with the work the team has done so far in such an incredibly short space of time. I feel comfortable with everyone in the team and I look forward to carry on working with them in the next six months.”