M-Sport will be hoping to bounce back in Germany after a disappointing Rally Finland.
Teemu Suninen clearly showed how difficult it is to recover positions on this event after earlier problems. No single reason has been suggested for the disappointing results in Finland.
There's a late entry change in WRC2 Pro with “Pedro” replacing Tidemand.
Eric Camilli, with his R5, struggled with set-up in conditions not used for previous testing, but there is much better expectation for Deutschland.
Three days of testing shared between Suninen and Greensmith, Camilli did R5 testing for M-Sport in France, then both Camilli and “Pedro” on the pre-event Monday test. No recent technical changes.
Suninen and Greensmith use same cars as in Finland.
Gravel note drivers: Pykalisto for Suninen, the Canadian Antoine l’Estage for Greensmith, and Patrick Magaud for Camilli.
Number notes: Suninen raced with #310 in karting, #31 on the WRC2 Pro, events so #3 was logical for WRC!
Elfyn’s #33 was to balance Suninen’s #3 and Greensmith chose #44 to balance Elfyn.
Recent Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas has been independently testing a WRC car in Germany.
Team quotes:Teemu Suninen said:
“Rallye Deutschland is a really demanding rally, but I feel ready for the challenge. We had a good run last time out on Tarmac, and I hope we can build on that next week.
“We’ve had a day and a half testing to find the best set-ups on the car, and the feeling is really good. Of course it’s impossible to be on the limit all the time at an event like this, but if we stay focused I think we can have a good rally.
“The route note crews will also be really important next week – and I think this is the most important event for them after Rallye Monte-Carlo. There is always a lot of cutting here which brings a lot of dirt onto the road. The conditions can change so much from one corner to the next, and that means a lot of changes in the notes.”
Gus Greensmith said:
“I’m really excited for this one – Tarmac is the surface I grew up on, so this is my kind of territory. I thought the Ford Fiesta WRC was quick on gravel – but it’s another level on Tarmac!
“I’ve had a day and a half testing in Germany to prepare, and everything has been really promising so far. I felt immediately more comfortable with the Fiesta WRC on Tarmac, and the feeling behind the wheel was truly special.
“Being a Tarmac event the margins are smaller and everything feels that little more on the edge. But our focus is on gaining the full experience of the rally, and if I’m relaxed I’m confident the times will come too.”
Team Principal, Richard Millener, said:
“Having challenged for the top results last time out on asphalt, we’ll be looking to build on that next week. Obviously it’s a shame not to have Elfyn. We know how competitive he would have been here, but his fitness is the top priority and we’re still capable of a strong result with our young and ambitious team.
“Teemu had a really good performance in Corsica, and also in Germany last year. With his karting background he’s no slouch when it comes to Tarmac and we’ve seen him really progress on this surface. After watching some of his footage from the test, he was certainly committed and I’m excited to see what he can do next week.
“Gus feels most at home on asphalt and it will be interesting to see what he can do on his sealed-surface debut with the top-specification Fiesta. He was really strong in Monte-Carlo earlier this year and although next week’s focus will be on experience, I think we could see him getting a lot closer to the top guys.”
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