FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
1st - Sébastien Ogier (FRA), Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
2nd - Takamoto Katsuta (JPN), Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team
3rd - Ott Tänak (EST), Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team
Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN), Team Principal, Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team

Q:
Sébastien, congratulations on the win after a roller-coaster weekend. Tell us how you felt crossing the finish line because the smile on your face and Julien’s told quite a story?
SO:
It was a relief to be honest. The last stage was very challenging. It was very soft conditions and you were never really sure what conditions you were going to get with rocks in the line or not. I definitely did not push on this one. I just wanted to finish it. It was such a crazy weekend. Everyone predicted it would be an entertaining weekend and it definitely delivered. So many things happened. First, we were hit with trouble quite early on in the race. Then, from this moment, we did a great job and kept pushing all the time and kept getting closer to the top. I expected to get close to the podium but I did not expect to win this rally.

Q:
Was it a tougher challenge than you expected or did you think it would be like this?
SO:
I had no idea actually. I expected something different and something tough. Plus, we had to discover a lot of situations and things we had not experienced before. That’s for sure. It was never easy. All in all I am happy with what we have done this weekend. It was difficult to make a preparation for this rally. I think the team have also done a good job to provide us with a good car. We have seen Toyota everywhere here this weekend. Probably we have put another stone on the stone wall that has been built here by Toyota.

Q:
Takamoto, welcome to the WRC podium for the first time in your career. What is the feeling to be here right now?
TK:
Very happy, let’s say. It is a special feeling after a tough weekend and very long. In beginning of the week I was not well and had food poison (ing) and was quite sick. But now we are here. Around me all of the people helped me and supported me. That’s why I am here. Thank you to all of them to give me this place.

Q:
It must have been an even tougher challenge for you if you were feeling unwell? That is not very pleasant.
TK:
Recce day I could not almost get up. Our physio and our guys fixed me. In the rally days I no have any problems and I 100% concentrate and have no big issues. 

Q:
Going into the final day you did not have the optimum tyre choice available.  You didn’t have enough fresh compound soft tyres, Was that a little frustrating?
TK:
Of course it would be nice to have a similar option but this last two days, what I had done, I had more damaged (tyres). I have to learn from Seb. Seb is always managing very well the tyres. This is one of the most important things for the rally.

Q:
Ott, talk to us about the challenge of the Safari Rally? You gained good points from the Power Stage today, so it has been successful in that sense.
OT:
Friday and Sunday were quite nice in terms of the challenge and what you expect from Safari. It was really entertaining for the drivers and I must say I really enjoyed the challenge. It is different in the calendar to have some extra spice in one event. It makes it quite interesting. It was good fun

Q:
Maybe not on Saturday evening though when the storm hit and you lost time when the windscreen misted up on your side. That must have been really frustrating?
OT:
Things happen sometimes for some reason but Saturday was quite a smooth day. The idea was to really take care there and take no risks and try to finish without any issue. I would say generally we had a smooth run and no drama. 

Q:
Do you believe this rally deserves a fixed position on the WRC calendar?
OT:
Like Saturday, maybe make it a bit more of a challenge but Friday and Sunday were pretty challenging. I am sure there is a space for a Safari.

Q:
Jari-Matti, a fourth Toyota 1-2 of the season. Was the event as demanding as you expected?
JML:
For sure, when we did the recce, I said yes definitely this is like an old Safari Rally. The only difference was that the stages are shorter and they are closed. There was a lot of drama and things happening on the event. It was a challenge and it was an adventure for the drivers. It would have been good to drive myself. I got into the spirit and I am really happy to see theses guys at the end, you know winning the rally and Takamoto taking the second place and his first podium. I am really delighted for him. On the Friday we were thinking that we could maybe get one car on the podium. But, at the end, the endurance and consistency are paying off with drivers having that never giving up attitude. 

Q:
Estonia next then. Super high-speed. What is the plan there? Any changes being made heading into it?
JML:
We know that last year we were a little bit missing the performance and Ott was super strong over there and he is going to be strong this year also. But we have been testing already and preparing and learning some things where we can improve the car. Let’s say a car that is working better in the wider and narrow roads. The results from the test were very good. We are feeling confident now for Estonia. But we know it is going to be tough to fight for the victory over there. But at least we have done what we can. 

Questions from the floor

Tom Howard, Autosport (GBR)

Q:
Do you think the Safari should be a fixed event on the WRC calendar?
SO:
I think it has been announced on the podium actually by the President himself. Honestly, I would say yes. The WRC needs diversity and I think it is nice this weekend and it was definitely entertaining. A lot of people enjoyed to watch the action this weekend. It was something very different and there were some interesting parts to it. Also, when you see the enthusiasm of the locals it makes us very happy. I enjoyed a lot the week after a long corona time where we have not seen spectators for a while. Here it was unbelievable to see the amount of people on road sections.

José Luis Abreu, Autosport Portugal (PRT)

Q:
Many people say in social media that you are the luckiest driver ever. Please explain the hard work you did to have that so called ‘luck’?
SO
I don’t know how I manage to have such luck for so many years. Hopefully it will stay with me until the end. Luck is part of the sport. You also need a little bit of work and a little bit of talent. It is part of it. I don’t think I have been very lucky on Friday morning with this incident but, after that, then the weekend worked well. Not much to add. 

Q:
Are you more happy with second place or sad to lose out on the win?
TK:
I am a driver so always victory or win is the best, for sure. I have to remember this is first podium in my life. I have never had this place in WRC. I told myself that now is not the time to fight with Seb. In the future, of course I try to fight. I still need to learn and improve a lot before I have a fight with Seb.

Q:
Several problems started with you in Portugal. Is it just bad luck what happened to you in Sardinia or something that the team must address quickly?
OT:
I guess there some physical things happening that are nothing to do with the luck. It is important to get on top of it. First it is important to understand why these things are happening. For sure, the team has been working hard to look for extra performance and the performance is there. Other things are not working in out in our favour but we are working on it.
 
Eric Dupain, Belgian News Agency (BEL)

Q:
As a Belgian journalist, it is quite a shame what happened to Thierry Neuville. Respect to you for winning four rallies out of six. You already did this in 2016. With your eighth world title almost here, and you are in such good shape, are you still considering retirement? You can continue for years…
SO:
Eighth title….only half a season, slow down. It’s been a very good start to this season with four out of six. It is a good achievement because, at the moment, the competitiveness of the  championship is quite high. It is good and I really enjoy but, one more time, I say it again I have different priorities in life and a different plan for the future. There will be no sporting results that will change my mind. Saying that, I will try to do my best to secure the eighth title. It is a very good first half of the season. But it is only half. There are still many points to be caught. We have to carry on that way. I am looking forward to the end of this season. The car is amazing to drive and I really enjoy it. I have to try and keep the momentum.

FIA WRC3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Present:
1st – Onkar Rai (KEN)
1st – Drew Sturrock (GBR)

Q:
Onkar, congratulations on completing the Safari Rally. A win in FIA WRC3 and also a top 10 finish for you in the WRC?
OR:
Just over the moon. I can’t really describe the feeling. It has been a boyhood dream to be able to participate in the WRC and to be in the top 10 alongside legends like Seb Ogier and the rest of them, it is a dream come true.

Q:
It has been a tough weekend out there for personal reasons for what happened to your brother on Friday. That must have been quite a distraction for you but you did it for him?
OR:
Definitely. I have a good navigator who was keeping me levelheaded. Together we did a really good job in maintaining that and managing everything and not taking any risks. Drew definitely kept me focused. The driver always gets the credit but this time around I would like to give it to him.

Q:
What comparisons can you draw with the Safari rallies that you have been competing on?
OR:
I was discussing this with Drew in the car. It’s four years since I finished the Safari and this was probably the hardest and probably the best of them. It has been a fantastic event, really rough. We, as local drivers, have not seen these kind of conditions before. I tend to feel a bit sorry for the big boys for some of the stuff they have had. I have heard that some of the cars are bent and are not going to the next events. I guess they will be better prepared next time around. It’s been a real pleasure to have the whole team here. There have been some real nice gentlemen. Takamoto (Katsuta) everyone loves him. He is a most respectful guy. I wished he would win but Seb is in his class at the moment. I guess Taka will get his win soon.

Q:
What were your thoughts starting the final stage? Were there any butterflies in your tummy?
OR:
To be honest I was not very nervous. I was not driving very well in the first few corners. It was quite loose. I knew I was being watched live and had to get my act together. Mister Focus here (Drew) got me on it again. We won the Power Stage and I am happy with that. 

Q:
Drew, many congratulations. How was the weekend from your perspective? It has been a roller-coaster ride out there.
DS:
That is a real understatement. It was a weekend of lots of highs and lots of real lows. The job of the co-driver is not only reading the notes, it is also to manage the driver. We got the news on Friday. It was a real dampener and Onkar will admit himself he was not really focused after that. We worked well together as a team and, as we proved this weekend. we had the mental fortitude to pull it off.

Q:
Given what happened on Friday, it’s a difficult thing to drive against. I guess you are a psychological coach as well?
DS:
Therapist and co-driver…exactly.

Q:
What were the complexities of the event from your chair?
DS:
It was a real navigators’ event. You really needed to be on the ball. You were flat out for long sections and only a few things to call and you had to use all the visual markers you can. You had to be mechanically sympathetic and making sure not to push when we could break the car and pushing where we could make time.

Questions from the floor

José Luis Abreu, Autosport Portugal (PRT)

Q:
What are you thoughts about the enthusiasm towards the event in your own country?
OR:
We were talking about this on the way back. I expected a few people but the turn out has been immense. I’ve never seen roads being closed and that many people lining the streets. In the old days of the Safari everywhere would come to a standstill. I didn’t think that would happen again but it has. I guess a lot of truck drivers are very angry. The whole country will reap the fruits of this. The viewing that Kenya has got, we cannot put a number on that.