WRC - 2015 Rally Finland - Pre-event Press Conference

FIA Pre-event Press Conference of the 2015 Rally Finland

Present:

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Motorsport

Kris Meeke, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team

Ott Tanak, M-Sport World Rally Team

Hayden Paddon, Hyundai Motorsport N

Q:

Jari-Matti, a fantastic win at this event for you and Miikka last year, it was a thrilling Rally Finland in 2014. I’m sure you are hoping for a bit of a re-run. How are you feeling ahead of it?

J-ML:

I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling positive, really motivated, hungry. We had a big battle with Ott [Tanak] in Poland and it didn’t end up so well, at least I’m very, very happy that I’m coming to my home event.

Q:

Let’s look back at Rally Poland as you did seem a bit frustrated there, that you just could not find the pace that you wanted. Why was that? Have you worked out what went wrong in Poland?

J-ML:

There were a couple of things that I did wrong and the rally didn’t work out. I realised that when I was preparing for this rally, that there was something in the set-up and now it’s fixed.

Q:

That means we should see you in top form this weekend. Did you have a good test as well?

J-ML:

It was really nice, we had dry conditions and good test roads. We did a lot of kilometres, about 550. Everything should be ready, pretty much. Just get the feeling in the morning.

Q:

You seem really relaxed ahead of this event. Not tense or wound up, which is good. You seem really calm, I think it’s a good thing?

J-ML:

It is a good thing. The championship has not been going so well this year and now it’s time to concentrate on the single events. Try to do the best on the single events and maybe know where we are at the end of the year.

Q:

As the only Finnish driver in the WRC it’s up to you to uphold the honour of Rally Finland. No pressure Jari-Matti! The Finnish drivers that are coming up through the championship now, there may not be many right at the top of the field but what do you think about the young guys who are coming up?

J-ML:

In the past we have had big numbers and a comfortable situation, we have had many Finns in the championship. This year I’m the only Finn in the whole championship in a WRC car. I think the future looks bright, in the WRC 2 class there are good Finns and they are coming up. This is important as we have a big tradition here in Finland for rally. Rally is one of our national sports and I think ice hockey and Formula 1 after that is the third biggest sport. It’s important that you have drivers who fans can follow otherwise the interest will go down.

Q:

Is the reason for your relaxation maybe that after last year you don’t have to prove anything here? You don’t have to show anything because you showed so much already?

J-ML:

In 2013, the first time here with Volkswagen, my performance was not great. I felt a lot of pressure because I had to improve for 2014. Last year I managed to win, it took some hard work. Of course the preparation I did for last year gave me a very good rally and now I try to do the same way. So it gives you more confidence when you come into the event. There is less thinking then you can be more relaxed.

Q:

Kris, how confident are you feeling ahead of this one? Confidence seems to be the word that’s around the service park, especially before Rally Finland and Rally Poland, two high speed events. Are you feeling good ahead of this one?

KM:

It’s going to be good. We had a good test at the weekend. The test on Sunday was very, very wet but it’s raining really heavily outside now and anything can happen during the rally. I feel prepared for the rally this time, unlike Poland. I’m ready to get started. The stages are quite similar to last year, probably 70-80% the same as last year so we have that experience in the bag. I hope it proves to be good.

Q:

The stages here, everyone talks about how fantastic they are. How much do they rate in terms of the other rallies that we have?

KM:

For me personally, this is one of my favourite rallies. As everyone knows, the flow of it, the speed. It’s purely about driving as fast as you can. There are not many obstacles, we don’t have any river crossings or really rough sections so it’s purely about commitment and speed. That’s a part of it I enjoy.

Q:

We spoke before the event and you said to me that it was crucial to do a good recce, to make sure that everything is perfect on the recce. How did the recce go?

KM:

Very good. Like we said, about 80% of the route is the same as last year so it’s just a case of confirming everything and the new sections are very typical so there are a couple of big new jumps which Jari might have done but I think very few other people. To judge the speed on them will be very difficult. It’s only two really bad places. Apart from that, I’m really happy with the recce.

Q:

In terms of the pressure on your shoulders to perform well during the second half of the season, to try and secure next year’s drive, how are you feeling about that?

KM:

Nothing’s really changed, there’s always been pressure on my shoulders to keep my job and to be honest my future has never been secure for more than six or eight months at a time. It doesn’t change much for me; I’ll continue to do the best job I can.

Q:

How is Ouninpohja looking out there? We’re all waiting for that stage.

KM:

Looking as fast as ever! Every time you recce it you say “is it this fast?” as every pace note is near flat-out. You really have to pay big attention in there and respect it. It can bite you so easily when the speeds are so high, it only takes you to be 30-40cm off line in a high speed corner and all of a sudden it’s a metre or two metres at the exit and it can slip through your fingers. It’s always an interesting stage and one of my favourites.

Q:

You’re already on cheeky form which I like to see Ott. Are you feeling good ahead of this event and confident as we see an increase in pace from you as the season has moved on. Lots of people are going to be looking to see what you can do this weekend, are you feeling good?

OT:

I think that I had a really nice test before the rally. I’ve never tested before Finland so it was a nice feeling to get some enjoyment from testing. We had three days and we made different notes and it was a good time.

Q:

You had a podium result in Poland and you were very passionate about that. Are you feeling that fuelled up ahead of this event?

OT:

I think it was exciting in Poland and we were working really hard for that result. I was really pushing on every stage. I was really happy the way that it was. I have big respect for Finnish roads, okay the speed is quite similar but the roads are completely different. It’s much more technical.

Q:

How much are you prepared to risk to get a good result here? What are you aiming for?

OT:

The only thing that I can’t compare with the other guys is the lack of experience with a WRC car because I haven’t done it recently in a WRC car. You can drive it in WRC2 cars but when you come in a proper fast car then the places catch up with you and you have to think about the notes. It’s one of the rallies where you really need the experience to drive fast. But okay, I have notes for the stages from before, I think we should be able to do a good result. I’m definitely not going to be mad but I will try to do a good rally. For me it felt like the recce was good and the feeling is good. It’s one of these things with this championship, if you feel that everything is working for you and you feel free inside the car then you can do whatever you want. Let’s see how it turns out.

Q:

We’ve got some great results from you this year Hayden. We’ve seen you on the podium for the first time and again fantastic pace in Poland a couple of weeks ago. Are we going to see that kind of pace here? Are we going to see more?

HP:

It would be good to see a bit more. Poland didn’t really gel the way we were hoping but coming here we’re on roads that we have good experience of. Hopefully we can put that to good use and try and get a top five, which would be great.

Q:

The other drives mentioned respect for the roads here. How do you find the balance here in Finland?

HP:

The room for error is quite small. It’s really driving at it’s purest and driving 100% to the pace notes, use all the road and you can’t really use the ditches here but you still have to use the whole of the road.

Q:

In terms of the pressure you are putting on yourself for a good result, we know that you are very self-critical of your performances. In Sardinia when you were setting fastest times you couldn’t quite believe it when you got to the stage ends. How much pressure are you putting on yourself to do well here?

HP:

I’m relaxed this weekend, I’ve just got to go out and do the same thing that we’ve done on the previous events and do our own thing. The comfort levels in the car feel good from testing and shakedown so I believe the times will come. After Argentina there was a lot of pressure when we had two or three bad results in a row. Now we’ve had two or three good results that take the pressure off in that respect and we can just relax and enjoy the driving.

Q:

There are two of you in the car on a rally, this is a special event for your co-driver John Kennard as it’s his 50th WRC event over 30 years.

HP:

He’s getting old! It’s a great event for him, it’s amazing for him. He’s been a big part of my career over the last ten years. Like you say there are two of us in the car, there is me behind the wheel and this guy is just as important.

FIA WRC 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:

Eric Camilli

Jarkko Nikara

Q:

How has your season gone so far Eric?

EC:

The season has gone well since Monte Carlo. We have been improving race after race and we have tried to do our best. As for Finland, I’m not feeling really confident, as it’s not so easy. I will try to stay calm and have a natural drive. We will see after the rally how that works out.

Q:

Teemu Suninen is your team-mate, has he given you some advice about Finland?

EC:

“Yes he has given me some advice; we have a good relationship so this is very positive. My strategy is just to improve stage after stage. I like all the stages on the first leg so I will see.

Q:

Does it feel good to be back Jarkko?

JN:

“Yes it’s very nice to be back in business! But I was very surprised when Malcolm Wilson was calling me to do this rally. The car is new to me but I like it a lot and I have a nice feeling with it. So far, I’ve done this rally eight times: this will be ninth time so I am really looking forward to using my experience to help the team, which is my priority this weekend. On Monday we did a 100-kilometre test and it felt very good immediately. So no problem with the car and I have a very professional co-driver. We’ll see what happens.”

FIA JUNIOR WRC CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:

Simone Tempestini

Jari Huttunen

Q:

You performed strongly in Poland Simone, does that mean that this weekend is promising?

ST:

I was doing very well and Poland was a good race. I hope that here in Finland could be the same. The Finns are on their home rally and for sure they will go very fast but I hope my rhythm will be good.

Q:

You found good pace in Poland. You seem to be very, very confident there. Are you bringing that same level of confidence here? Do you feel the same? You looked at the stages on the recce did you feel similar?

ST:

I like a lot of the stages. It will be a very long day without a service tomiorrow. The rain today would be hard. We take care avoiding the punctures but we will try to do our best.

Q:

It’s so important for the championship that you get as many points as possible but you have rivals here within the Junior WRC.

ST:

For sure they will go very fast but I hope that my weekend will be better.

Q:

Congratulations Jari on winning the prize drive here. You were named the future star of Finnish rallying. For me that would put a lot of pressure on my shoulders. Having said that, how are you feeling coming into your home event which will be the biggest rally event you have ever competed in?

JH:

We will try.

Q:

How much testing have you been able to do?

JH:

About 100 kilometres. The first day was not so easy now the car feels good.

Q:

How did the car feel on shakedown this morning?

JH:

It’s okay.

Q:

You are in a line-up with some great drivers in this Junior championship. What are you hoping to achieve this weekend?

JH:

I try but it’s not so easy.

FIA WRC 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:

Teemu Suninen

Q:

Teemu, are you feeling the pressure with this being your home event?

TS:

I’m really looking forward to it. It’s actually easier to be at home. There’s not really any extra pressure. I’m more relaxed than last year. Now I just want to avoid mistakes and drive my own rally.

Q:

How about the rain, will that make a big difference?

TS:

Yes, I think the stages could be rough because of the rain. It will affect our plan a lot and I think we can expect some rough stones and holes in the line. But we were driving in these conditions on Monday and I felt really happy with the car. The plan is just to avoid trouble and do as well as we can.