Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

Flash info after the SS7

30. 8. 2014 - Ivan Hudcovský, Mariana Petrů, press centre BCRZ

The crews went to the service park Otrokovice by the administration building after the four stages (Troják, Semetín, Slušovice and Maják). Here is the news we gathered at the regrouping.

Jaromír Tarabus (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 11):
'Right from the beginning of this stage we fought with a wrong itinerary. Even though we got up to second place, we went through a retarder and had to reverse at Troják. In the next stage we got stuck in a ditch. Never mind the loss of one minute the fans fortunately pushed us out.'

Václav Pech (CZE, Mini John Cooper Works S2000, st. no. 4):
'We did great in both stages and we managed to work down the morning loss. I must admit that I am really tired after Semetín. It's a pretty fast stage and our car is set up too hard and I only found out yesterday after the special stage. This is why I'm exhausted. The crew in front of us (Esapeka Lappi) jumped over the kerbs in a slippery turn in Vlčková. This turn needs precise driving skills and you need to be very careful. Also, this rally is quite long. It is highly demanding to go through Troják and Semetín without any mistakes again. It might be better to drive more cautiously, but I don't want to slow down too much so I don't make a pointless mistake.'

Sepp Wiegand (DEU, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 7):
'Like I said in the morning, the rally had just begun and I need to be careful and concentrated to prevent any mistakes. To be honest, I only concentrate on our performance and do not care about other crews at all. But I am quite satisfied with the result. Semetín was a rough track, but we managed to find a compromise between the speed and the ability to stay on track. In the next stages we have to stay cautious, although we need to speed up. The competition here is enormous.'

Robert Consani (FRA, Peugeot 207 S2000, st. no. 14):
'Troják is very difficult, especially the end of it. We had a bigger problem up on the hill. The car is alright despite the fact that our mechanics had to do some minor changes. I'm looking forward to this day's last stage.'

Tomáš Kostka (CZE, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 17):
'Barum Rally is an extreme competition. The car setups are pushed to the limit as well. We are planning to do other changes and we'll see if it leads to better steering, because we are still falling behind for some reason. We're happy about the standings because lots of crews have dropped out, but I will try to help the team with further development. I don't think our Ford is made for these track surfaces, even though it still evolves, it is difficult to simulate these types of roads.'

Ott Tänak (EST, Ford Fiesta R5, st.no. 2):
'Today's stages have not been easy at all. We had several problems. First of all, the brakes didn't work properly, but it is all okay now. Our mechanics have a few good ideas how to tune the car better, so I'm sure we'll tie the times from previous stages. The rally is long but we do our best to perform as well as possible.'

Roman Odložilík (CZE, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 16):
'I was counting on the fact that the crews reaching the limits will get out at these stages just as every year. As for us, we keep the speed up, but not close to the limits. Still, we managed to lose the bumper. I made some mistakes at Maják, which is not my favourite, but overall I'm quite satisfied. After the start the tyres got wrapped in dirt at the retarder, so we were not able to turn. Our ride works just fine, but personally, I do not know of any road that is so painful for the car. I feel sorry for the struggle it has to go through.'

Pavel Valoušek (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 18):
'It took me a while to get into the right rhythm. If you don't race regularly, it's a little more complicated.'

Neil Simpson (GBR, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 19):
'We did have a few problems, but we're staying positive, because we're still in the game. We are having whale of a time, although I think we made some mistakes. For example we did not change the tyres. Troják and Maják had been the biggest challenges we had undergone so far. Technically difficult stages that are not easy for the crew, nor the car, simply a true challenge.'

Antonín Tlusťák (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 20):
'Luckily, we did well at Troják. Semetín was alright except for the mistakes at the end, but those were not too serious. We went off a bit too far – so far that we demolished a fence. The car was not harmed that much and we only lost a few seconds. A kerb crossed our way in Slušovice, but we managed to finish, which is most important.'

Martin Vlček (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 21):
'We've got a great amount of respect for this rally, we have never got this far. We enjoy every minute of it, but it's a long way to reach the finish. We have to stay strong.'