Repco Rally New Zealand 2022
29. 9. – 2. 10. 2022, Auckland • Rally New Zealand Club Inc. • gravel 279.80 km • total distance including road sections - 1374.47 km • Other years
Info
SS17
"It's quite a big relief after such a good season and finally we are here! It was a small wait after a few difficult rallies but the biggest thanks goes to the team - they made this rocket this year. Even after all the difficult rallies they were believing in us and giving us all the support."
"I am happy with my rally and it was a nice comeback after three months. Obviously Kalle has done even better and now I cross my fingers that this last 6km go well for him. Like I say, we are witnessing history."
"We had a far from good weekend, but anyway, Kalle and Toyota has been very strong and they have beaten everybody fair and square, no question at all. Hopefully everything goes well for Kalle."
"It was the maximum we could do this weekend. We got the penalities and we had two spins. We still need to work on the car because I don't feel comfortable in these conditions. Sometimes it's a struggle for me to drive and go fast, so we're going to work on it."
"For sure, it's been a very tough weekend with a lot of small things happening all the time. At least there has been no mistakes. Fifth place is not what I hoped for but it's okay. We definitely need to improve the car when it's slippery and wet but it's getting better and better."
"I was too relaxed! I am here and I am super happy with the result. Great roads - maybe a bit less rain would have been better - but it's amazing!"
"It's something that's caught us out in the past - just a (tyre) debead on a jump. It's kind of the way things are going at the moment."
Puncture
"It's an amazing result for us and we are really happy. Everything was fine and the team were working well."
"I would have enjoyed it more if we were more on it from Friday morning! We picked up two stage wins along the way so we can't be disappointed with that. A massive thanks to everybody who got us here - it'd been great."
"It's fun! I'm driving a rally car in the WRC - that's pretty cool. We had a great time and I'm living my dream. To get a podium, I'm stoked. I'm having a ball."
"I did a mistake on this one - I hit something on a cut and the steering wheel is a little bit to the right. It was a really good rally for us and I enjoyed almost all the stages. It's not the end of the story to fight for the [championship] victory and I will try to do it on the next rally."
"It's been a very long two-and-a-half days! We've tried to manage it and not do anything silly. We're pleased the pressure's off by actually doing this - we would have looked not so good if we did something silly!"
SS16
"Let's see what we can do. We will try to go for the points and we will see what happens."
"It's never easy. The Power Stage will be quite muddy but we will try to manage it. When you have Ott behind you can never relax, so I will try to keep the rhythm and enjoy the last one."
"We will do all we can, so let's see. When the stages are slower it seems okay. Hopefully it will work on the next one as well but it depends on what the weather will be like."
"I went a bit wide! I changed some settings on the hybrid system and I got a huge surprise under braking."
"It was very slippery so I just took it easy."
"I am getting used to wet stages! It was slippery, but it's okay. We are trying to do our job and finish the rally. This stage was enjoyable anyway."
"It was trickier that time. Obviously a lot of rain at the start of the stage, so it was quite slippery on the polished stone. We got through it."
SS15
"I think nobody else was driving fast, but it was not a push from us. We were just checking out the stage and we'll see what happens."
"The plan is to secure the 1-2 for the team and hopefully celebrate something today."
"A clean recce for the Power Stage. I was very careful on the jumps and we are ready for a bit of a push to get a few more points from the weekend."
"I have never jumped so high in my life! That was cool!"
"Just two to go! This one was really nice for the spectators and also for us. We enjoyed it."
"I don't know who Jack is, but I'd say his house will be worth a few pounds after today! It was actually really, really nice. There was one huge jump that I wasn't expecting but it was really enjoyable - fair play!"
SS14
"In places I was far too brave and in one place we were very close to having a proper crash. It was a bit of excitement!"
"I just tried to have a normal pace and we will see what we can do in the afternoon. Nothing crazy. I am not really pushing - I just wanted to start the day with a bit of driving and keep comfortable."
"It's pretty slippery this morning to be honest. Lower grip than what we've had so far this weekend."
"We are just trying to get through the rally. We need to finish."
"It worked well now and it's nice to have a clean run. Very loose in there with a lot of cleaning, but it was a very nice and enjoyable stage."
"We took it very easy. There is a lot of cleaning and gravel so the road surface will improve a lot."
"Unfortunately there's not enough rain! It was probably the loosest stage we've done all weekend, but no dramas. We're through and it's all good."
SS13
"A really clean and tidy day with no mistakes. We took a couple of spare tyres this afternoon just to play it safe and I'm happy with how it's gone."
"What can I say? Why do we need to find positives all the time from negatives? Let's see tomorrow."
"The conditions were very difficult and we had super-heavy rain. I am happy to finish the day and we are in a position to fight for a good result for the team, so that's not bad at all."
"I was backing off on this one and it felt bad straight away. A great day. I can be really happy with what we did in these extremely difficult conditions. We pushed really hard and I am happy."
"It was a challenging day, but there was not much we could do. We were driving on our own rhythm and just trying to survive. With the rain and zero visibility it wasn't easy, but it's good to be here. Tomorrow is a short day and we will try to end up in a good position."
"I drove as fast as I could with the misfire. It's sometimes running clean and sometimes not, but I tried to rev it as much as possible to get the best out of it."
"I was too aggressive on a simple corner and went with the front into the mountain. Nothing big - I was just too relaxed in the last stage! We are here at the end and we are so happy."
"It was fine in that stage - the nicest one of the loop. Obviously it was more difficult this afternoon and we were cleaning a lot of the standing water away. We made no big mistakes except for a big slide on the last one, but apart from that it's all good."
SS12
"Of course, everything is not okay but the target is to come through. Luckily this stage was more consistent with less muddy places. It's such a shame."
"Jonne was grabbing the seat a bit in one place! A nice stage - I don't know what Séb is doing behind, but all good."
"Better conditions, but I was really missing traction and spinning the wheels all the time. I had a clean run through."
"Sometimes it clears, but the more I rev the better it seems. It's a real shame to be honest. I have felt better in the car this afternoon, but it is how it is."
"It stopped raining and it's getting dry quite quickly. The grip compared to the previous stage was okay."
Accident
SS11
"No problems. It's all okay."
"The plan is to try to drive well, but it's difficult with a lot of standing water. I don't want to take full risks because Elfyn is missing now and the team needs two cars at the end."
"Really difficult conditions - a lot of standing water and surprises in every corner. We tried to be fast. Let's see how the drivers are coming behind, but it was a clean stage for me."
"We had an okay stage. Difficult conditions but I had a clean run through. There's nothing to fight for at the moment with one-minute in front and one-minute behind."
"I had a misfire the whole stage and I couldn't see anything. I don't know [if we can fix it]."
"The car felt a bit better but the conditions were horrible. A lot of standing water inside the corners, so I had to watch it. It's a nice stage but still tricky."
"I turned in too early and got the wrong line, then on the exit I almost went wide. Luckily we are here and it's fine."
"I need a set of wipers for my glasses as well - I was getting splashed by water in some places! The grip is good when there's no water, but when there is you're just sitting on top of it straight away."
SS10
Accident
Under red flag
SS9
"I am pushing really hard. I tried to be clean but I did a few mistakes, going wide where it was a bit more slippery than I thought. Maybe it's getting a bit faster with the cleaning. Hopefully Elfyn is all good."
Gearbox issue
"We can't do anything - we have no speed. It's nothing new."
"It is slippery and Kalle is pushing. A bit of a abetter stage on this one, but we didn't start so well in the first one."
"I am pushing really hard. I tried to be clean but I did a few mistakes, going wide where it was a bit more slippery than I thought. Maybe it's getting a bit faster with the cleaning. Hopefully Elfyn is all good."
"It's bad. For me, the car felt better than the first one, but it's really hard to make the car do anything at all. It's really not nice."
"We have a technical problem. We will try and get back to service and then we'll see."
"I had so much understeer and I had no confidence at all to push. I struggled in there."
Spin
"It's difficult. I am not confident to be honest. It's my driving style, I think."
"I think the grip compared to the previous one is a bit lower. Today's stages are more technical than yesterday but still amazing stages."
"That one was really tricky compared to the first. The grip was much lower with a lot of surprises. Of course, we've got a good road position."
SS8
"We had one mistake - we had a wrong note and did some damage probably to the front. I have no feeling in the car, so we are not in the fight. I don't see that at the moment."
"It's pretty wet to be honest, but all okay. We just need to keep doing what we can and see what happens."
"I think the conditions at the end were not cleaning anymore and it was more slippery. At least the guys around me should have the same conditions.
"Let's see. I think it's cleaning a bit for the guys behind - hopefully not too much! I tried to push but I didn't really feel fully confident in the narrow places. Other than that, we are here all good."
"For me there was quite a lot of mud coming through. We had low grip and it seemed a bit like Wales, where the best place to be is first on the road. I was struggling in some of the slippery sections but it's okay."
"We tried to go for more grip but it's cleaning a lot in this stage. We did what we could - it wasn't the best run, but it was not bad either. We'll keep this rhythm and see what is happening."
"In some places we had good grip but the car was quite stiff, so I didn't have a lot of traction. It's okay - it was a very tricky stage to do the first time and I took it a bit steady."
"Maybe I am too slow - that's it. I have no speed like yesterday. I just need to find where I can push."
"This stage was okay and the grip was very good. Maybe a bit of cleaning, but not so much. It's a very technical stage and it was a good wake-up call. So far, so good!"
"I'd love to tell you everything is all lovely and rosy. The roads are beautiful, but my soul is still hurting a bit from what happened yesterday. I was very, very cautious in there and we want to get through the day with no mistakes."
SS7
"A difficult stage. I just drove carefully because I don't have many tyres left on the back, but I'm getting more and more into it. The feeling is better in the car now."
Accident
"Without a rear wing on such a fast stage I did what I could, but it was not the same."
"It's been a good day - just some strange patterns of tyre wear this afternoon which have made things very difficult this afternoon."
"It's very mixed conditions this afternoon and I wasn't so committed. I have many things to improve, so I will try to find out this evening what I can do for tomorrow."
"We changed some stuff with the car and some things are better, but it took me a while at the start to get used to it. It's not all bad but it's not the way we wanted to finish the day."
"It has been not a good day for us. I am still not 100 per cent confident in the car and we have some things we need to work on. In Greece I felt comfortable but in all the other rallies it's never feels good enough for me to push."
"It has been so far quite good. No mistakes and we did everything we could. I think we can be quite happy with what we have done, but here I think we will lose some time. The tyres were so done and there was no grip for us."
SS6
Puncture
"It's raining every time I go out on the stage! It was really muddy on this one and I had no rear tyres left - it was like driving in rear-wheel drive all the time."
Lost rear spoiler. "Really? That's not ideal! For sure, it could be a problem, but I don't know how much we will lose because it's so muddy."
"Sounds like Kalle - getting all the good luck! I got caught in loads of rain and the tyres were so worn that I was aquaplaning everywhere."
"The previous stage was okay but this one has changed a lot and after 10km it started to be very muddy. It was quite tricky but we are here."
"I couldn't see anything at some points. It was pretty bad for a while and then the conditions were very bad with a lot of aquaplaning."
Clutch
"Not easy. The tyres were quite dead on the rear and when the rain came it was quite difficult to keep the car in the line."
"It was just starting to rain quite a lot and in the mud it's quite undriveable."
"I think without two spare wheels it's not so enjoyable to drive at the moment. Luckily in here it was really muddy, so hopefully we have enough tyres for the next one."
SS5
"You know yourself what happened. I know I shouldn't be doing all these mistakes, but it's really tough."
"It's still not easy to drive, but I found a clean line. We had a lot of rain at the end now and it was very slippery and easy to do a mistake."
"That's good! We said the plan was to push, but it's only the first one. It was drier than expected but the tyre wear should be alright."
"It's a left that opens and then the right after that comes very quickly. I think that's where Colin crashed a while back. For me, it was okay, but the tyres were shot at the end. The screen misted up and I couldn't see anything for the last 3km."
He's gone off the road on a right-hander 26.7km into the stage. It's the same corner which caught out Colin McRae in 2002!
"It's more changeable conditions. In the beginning it's okay, but at the end you still have mud and quite slippery sections."
Off road
"It's so, so difficult [to look after the tyres]. I don't know - let's see!"
"Everybody is managing their tyres in there. I tried to do a good job and hopefully I didn't go too hard on the tyres. It would be good to get some rain for the next stages because, if not, we could be struggling - it's quite abrasive in there."
"We are cleaning a line massively and it would be a miracle if we could beat the R5s on this one! It was hard on the tyres so we were really trying to manage through this one."
"It was difficult still. The line is not so wide after the small cars, so I need to open the line a bit and it's not easy. It was a bit more dry than I expected, so in the middle of the stage it was really slippery when it got drier."
SS4
"Honestly, it’s good to get a clean loop but I couldn’t really push in there."
"This stage was fast and flowing and I couldn’t really carry the speed - but the rest of the morning has been good."
"All okay, but we need to go faster this afternoon!"
"The car is good, but not me - I don’t know why. I just can't find a rhythm at all."
"We were sliding a lot in there but it was a beautiful stage."
"Two stages, two spins. Very hard to keep the car in line, I don’t know if it’s the dampers or the suspension but I am not sure what we can do now. We will continue to lose time."
Spin
SS3
Spin
"I am not really dancing in the car! They are enjoyable stages but I can't get the flow. Some places are very good and others are awful - I am really struggling."
"That was absolutely beautiful - breathtaking. I probably didn't commit as much as I'd have liked to, but I enjoyed it regardless."
"In some places I was not quite finding the rhythm right, but others were good. On the second pass we just need to make sure the whole thing is very good."
"That was absolutely beautiful - breathtaking. I probably didn't commit as much as I'd have liked to, but I enjoyed it regardless"
"I just spun. It was quite slippery and I am not so comfortable yet. Small things are affecting the grip a lot, so it's not easy."
Spin
"It's a really nice stage, this one. Difficult to find the rhythm with a lot of changing grip in places, but overall it was okay."
"Just a spin, four corners before the finish. There was a bump with some water and the rear spun around and the engine stalled. I think there is damage, but it was quite narrow and not easy to recover."
Spin
SS2
Stopped
Mechanical
"No grip at all at times, but it was not a bad stage at all."
"Sounds alright! Let's see what Séb is doing behind us."
"The grip wasn't so bad but at the end it started to be a little bit muddy. Maybe I was a little bit careful, but it's okay."
Mechanical
SS1
"It was a bad run through for me, but it's nice to see all the people here. Of course, the pressure is always there, but hopefully this weekend we can try to do a good job. It will be difficult opening the road."
"We will see what we can do. My head was spinning in here and I had no idea where the road was going - it was not so fun, actually! [The championship fight] is not in our hands, it's nothing to do with us."
"It's hard to say, but anyhow, it's good to be back in New Zealand. The target is to carry on with the momentum we've had in the last couple of events and also for us after our win in Greece."
"I think the roads are real drivers' stages out here. We're looking forward to starting tomorrow."
"In the recce the grip felt good on the stages and I think the car is working. I will just try to do my best and enjoy the stages."
"It's definitely going to be a tough day tomorrow, but it's enjoyable. We've got some incredible stages in front of us and it's definitely going to be one of the most enjoyable rallies of the year. I can't wait to get into it to be honest."
"It's just going to get faster and faster - we had a lot of rain before the start. I was just trying to keep it tidy because if you go wide at the donuts you lose a lot of time. The real challenge will be tomorrow."
"The stages look amazing. We hope to enjoy it and that's the plan - it will be a challenge, but let's see what we can do. The rain made things difficult in here and I hope it's not drying too much for the guys behind!"
"It's fantastic to be here. We have a lot of memories from the family and I was born when my dad rallied here. This stage was very tricky but it doesn't matter - I did my best tonight and tomorrow is where it starts."
"The roads are amazing and I think this is a good reason to choose Rally New Zealand!"
"I had a bit of trouble sorting the grip out on the first braking point and overshot it and over-rotated the car. Other than that it was okay."
"It means so much just to be on the start line to be honest. An amazing atmosphere - I'm just going to lap it up this weekend, that's for sure."
"Tomorrow we'll be taking it pretty easy, but that was a whole lot of fun and so cool to see so many people out there. Awesome."
"It's fantastic to see everyone here supporting. It's been 10 years since we had the WRC here and it's great to see the support. This was really a demo stage and we're looking forward to getting on the gravel."
"We have some trouble. Now we are going to the service - we have a short time and we will see tomorrow."
Broken driveshaft
"It was awesome to see so many people here. This is just the start and we're hoping to see more people out tomorrow. It's a shame about the moisture - it made things really slippery and shiny."