Present
1st Thierry Neuville – Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
2nd Sébastien Ogier – M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
3rd Jari-Matti Latvala – Toyota GAZOO Racing World Rally Team
Q:
Thierry, first of all congratulations on the signing of your new three-year contract with Hyundai. It’s a weight off your shoulders. Are you a happy man?
TN:
I definitely wanted to continue in WRC for a few more years. Hyundai really wanted me to stay and there has been maximum commitment from the team. It was always my goal to continue with them. I started with them when they came into WRC five years ago. We have become a family. Everyone is behind us. We have a great atmosphere and there was no need to change.
Q:
Will you still have the same smile on your face at the end of the weekend?
TN:
I am enjoying what I am doing and I am always smiling. Sometimes it is a bit frustrating when you are in competition and you dont get the result you want. But that is part of the game. Generally it is going to be a tough weekend for us compared to the other gravel events and a bit more challenging, especially when you are starting with a 40km stage. The thing will be to find a good rhythm from the start.
Q:
In terms of the outcome of the WRC, do you think this is a crucial rally in the title battle?
TN:
I don’t know. There will be a fight going on until the last stages of the season. It could be a key rally but I have more to lose than to gain. I need to have a good speed and try and increase the gap. If I am able to do that, my smile will be even bigger.
Q:
Sébastien is one man who will not want you to increase the gap. You have been to Turkey before but this is a new area and new stages. I guess it makes it more of a level playing field?
SO:
We expect a tough event for everyone. It’s all new. We came to Turkey back in 2010. It was in the north. Now we are in the south. It’s rough. It is one of the events where we will not be able to push all the time. It’s a tough rally. You have to manage the rhythm some times. 38km to start the rally. I would say the biggest challenge of the weekend comes immediately on Friday. A lot of things can happen.
Q:
Sébastien, I guess no-one can drive flat out. You just would not survive.
SO:
We saw on shakedown this morning the conditions. If you really go for it, you can make a difference. But your chances of finishing are very small. We are not far away and we need to score more than Thierry. That is the goal.
Q:
Sébastien, for the sake of everyone here, Thierry has signed on the dotted line for next year. What about you? Where are you going to be?
SO:
Still it is not close enough to tell you. It’s not that I dont want to tell you but I did not take my decision yet. It’s getting close. Maybe next week or the week after I will make my decision.
Q:
Jari-Matti, you told us you will be driving in a World Rally Car next year. Can you tell us anymore?
JML:
Yes. The car has four wheels and a big rear spoliler and 400 horse power!
Q:
We have seen you perform well in Turkey before. Buit this rally is completely different. What are your thoughts?
JML:
Actuially I have been in Rally Turkey for the first time in 2004, when it was in Kemer. That’s a long time ago. We did the event again 10 years ago and then in 2010 in Istanbul. Istanbul was completely different. It was fast and wider and softer. This rally reminds me of Kemer from 2008, but it is more technical and rougher. If we go back to 2009 to the Acropolis Rally. That was similar memories. Acropolis used to be rough like this. But that was fast and ou had more room and wider roads. You could pick up the lines. Here it is narrow and technical. You can use the speed but you can also break the car.
Q:
What have the team done to help to strengthen the car?
JML:
We are higher than ever with the car. We never ran the car this high. The suspension is stiffer and this should help us a lot. Thsre is also help with your throttle nd with your brake and how you use them and how aggressie you are. People think these cars are tanks. They are but, when you drive in these conditions, there are still tyres and wheels. It is a different game this time. The winner this time is the guy who has a clean event, no puncture and is not necessaily the fastest all the way through. That is what I target. You can attack on some stages, but you cannot attack all the time.”
