Q&A: Guy Wilks - 18 Mar 2010

Škoda UK Motorsport´s Guy Wilks moved into second place in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers´ standings by finishing runner-up in Brazil. This is his view of Rally Internacional de Curitiba and his prospects for more success on Rally Argentina this weekend.

You must have been pleased with your second place finish in Curitiba?
“Yeah, we were very pleased. Obviously you always look to try and win rallies and with the Škoda Fabia we’ve got the car to do it. Kris Meeke’s experience paid off and he drove a very good rally and won. I think we drove pretty well. On the first day we had a couple of small problems, nothing mechanical or technical to do with the car but just little issues. But overall we were very happy.”

So was it a case that experience of the event gave Kris the edge in Brazil?
“I think definitely so. Kris just had the confidence on the first day to know what the lie of the land was like. When you recce at 60kph it’s very difficult to tell exactly what speed you’re going to be approaching into things. There were some bumps and crests, a little like Finland, but there are some bad speed bumps. Some guys were taking them flat and I just didn’t know how the car was going to react and I wasn’t and that’s where I lost a little bit of time. But that’s just experience knowing what you can do and can’t do and also a bit of knowledge of the car, which I still am learning all the time.”

The weather couldn’t have helped either...
“Yes and no. It was suck it and see at times because you didn’t know whether it would be wet or dry. But I think ultimately it was a case of mind over matter and getting on with the job in hand and not worrying about what tyres you had on underneath. You just drive it in the road and that’s what we did. I would like to have been a bit quicker and there’s room for improvement from myself for Argentina. When Kris had taken the time in the first stage...we were actually up on Kris in the first section but when it was more technical Kris’s car had the edge over our set-up and he took it all back. There was no point to do anything stupid after that. We just had to keep the pressure on in case Kris had a problem or a puncture and we could capitalise.”

What does the one-two for British drivers in Brazil say about rallying in the UK?
“It’s great. Kris and I have been in the wilderness for a couple of years. Kris had a really successful year last year and it’s great we’re both back at a high level of the sport and filled the top steps of the podium in Brazil. It’s great for British rallying, good for the future of Kris and I and we have to look forward to that. We’re competing against each other and rally wins are what we need now so hopefully we can go down to Argentina and really fight for that.”

It’s an event you’ve won on before. You obviously must have high hopes for a win there?
“It’s been a long time since I did the Junior championship but I have been over those stages. To be honest I’d like to get down there right now to get the set-up sorted and get on with it. The week off will be welcome and we will get down there and hopefully have a short test to get everything sorted instead of this ‘not quite to my liking at the moment’... it’s not 100 per cent where I want it to be but it will come.”