Sibiu Rally post-event press conference - News

Question to Andreas Mikkelsen
You’ve won the Sibiu Rally by more than five minutes – surely it wasn’t as easy as it looked was it?

AM: “If you look at the gap it’s quite big but I tell you it hasn’t been as easy as it maybe looked. The roads were rough out there and it was basically a case for us of trying to get through safely without any problems. We managed to do that quite well and that’s also part of the reason why we have won this rally. Okay I didn’t have the dust which made it easier for me compared to the other guys but no problems and it’s a fantastic result for us.”

Question to Andreas Mikkelsen
You’ve been waiting since February for your second win in the IRC this season. How important was this victory for you?

AM: “For me it was really important to get a win here. I have one victory earlier this season on gravel but the team has been working so hard. After that it’s been only second, second, second and it’s good to deliver the first place to the team. It’s also the 25^th victory of ŠKODA so now we are the leading manufacturer of wins in the IRC so I am very happy for them. But overall it feels great to be back on top of the podium.”

Question to Andreas Mikkelsen
Your win gives you a 49-point lead in the standings with five rounds remaining. How confident are you of winning the IRC title for a second time?

AM: “Looking at this IRC championship in the last couple of years everything has changed on the last couple of rounds so I don’t feel safe at all. Now we head to Barum with our shoulders a little bit down and we can maybe fight without thinking too much about the title – it would be really nice to attack more. I am really looking forward now to the last couple of rallies. We’ve got a good gap in the championship but we have to keep focused.”

Question to Ola Fløene
This is the 25^th victory in the IRC for ŠKODA. How much of a factor was the Fabia Super 2000 in your success this weekend?

OF: “The ŠKODA is a reliable car, we have been testing so much so we know the performance and Andreas knows how fast he can be with the car. We were doing the rally more or less with no problems, we had a very good preparation for this rally but it’s basically the team and knowledge ŠKODA has that makes this possible.”

Question to Patrik Flodin
After two stages on Friday you were in 45^th position yet you finished second. Did you ever believe this would be possible after your earlier problems?

PF: “Actually not. We were sure we can move forward but all the way up to the podium we didn’t think it would be possible and today we had some luck and the other guys had bad luck so we gained positions and that’s why we moved all the way to the podium.”

Question to Patrik Flodin
Your team boss Petter Solberg has been in Sibiu this weekend giving you support. How important has that been for you?

PF: “I was very happy to have finished second in this rally after how it started. The team have been very, very good. It was good for me to have Petter here this weekend. It was more or less my first rally on the gravel with this car so we were playing around with the set-up of the car and going a big step forward. I was learning a lot about the car and what happens when you are doing things. It’s very important for me now to continue learning and trying to understand the car. I have been competing in Group N cars for many years, this is my first year in Super 2000 and it’s a little bit different.”

Question to Göran Bergsten
Given how tough this event was, would you say this has been one of Patrik’s best performances in a rally car?

GB: “This was really special. It was rough surface and with the everything that happened at the start… but when we were pushing we got one of the best results we could get and this is very good for us.”

Question to Göran Bergsten
There was a lot of discussions about the dust, particularly on Friday’s stages. Just how difficult was it for you and Patrik?

PF: “It was really difficult. We lose 40 seconds to Andreas in 15 kilometres and that’s really too much. We couldn’t see the road for a long time and we were having to brake and not take any risks or we would have gone off.”

Question to François Delecour
Like Patrik this is your first podium in the IRC but it wasn’t very easy judging by all the problems you’ve experienced today. What exactly happened?

FD: “We had two problems: we had the fog [dust] during some of the stages yesterday and then today it was difficult with the problems with the shocks. We had one yesterday and two times today on the left and the right sides. It was very difficult to finish this rally in this position with absolutely no new shocks. There is also a little frustration because it was impossible to go quickly and I had to control the car the whole time. The roads were so rough and these cars are simply not built for these conditions.”

Question to François Delecour
With a podium finish here, what are the chances of seeing you on other IRC events in the future?

FD: “I would like of course because rallying is my life. I would love to make the IRC again or the WRC on Rallye Monte-Carlo, why not? I have no programme any more, I am just doing the Romanian championship but we will see.”

Question to Dominique Savignoni
You’ve got some experience of competing in Romania – how tough was this event in comparison?

DS: “It was so difficult with the dust and reading the pacenotes in conditions like this.”

Question to Dominique Savignoni
A podium on an international rally seven months after you were supposed to have retired – you must be pleased you changed your mind?

DS: “I am never tired of this sport.”