Tet Rally Liepāja 2023
16. 6. – 18. 6. 2023, Liepāja • RA EVENTS • gravel 183.89 km - (cancelled 27.56 km) • total distance including road sections - 708.04 km • Other years
Info
SS10
"All the rally has been good, but we had a problem at SS3 so I thought it was gone, I was sick as well but we didn't give up and here we are! I need to thank Torstein Eriksen."
"Wow! Perfect. It was so special this weekend thank you. Thanks to Team MRF Tyres, thanks to all who are around us and thanks to SRT for the best car!"
"We wanted to get full points from this, all in all, a good weekend, but there is more to come, big thanks to the team, first half of the season done! Let's get it done for the second half."
"Yeah I am happy, its not been perfect, but we have been fighting on all the stages and we're on the podium so we need to stay positive, its been a fighting weekend for us but we can work from here."
"Maybe you can tell me [the problem]. Something electrical I guess. A misfire, things like this happen when you need them. Not the easiest weekend, but it's OK."
"The past couple of months for [James Fulton] has been hard but to come here and do the tremendous job he's done. This is for him."
"We'll see what Josh does, its not an easy stage. Not good grip! Thank you Michelin, thank you to my team. Its good to see the finish line and good to score some points!"
"Really slippy but really good, flat out all the time! Bit sad about the failures we have, but thats how it is. Luckily we found the fault yesterday and luckily we made a lot of work before the rally, so thank you to my team and I hope we'll have better luck next time."
"Its been a tricky one, bit disappointed with today but you have to take it. After [qualifying] we thought it would be much worse, but we take what we can."
"For sure, we try our best, we didn't have the correct speed, but we will come back stronger. Thank you to all the sponsors and everyone supporting us. It's not the result we want, but its OK."
"I'm happy to finish the rally which is so challenging, thank you to all the teams at MRF and I hope I have improved my driving! For now, let's see for the next one but thank you to everyone."
"Right way to finish the weekend, we started badly on the first stage but finished well on stages like this. Thanks to my team and Pirelli for the tyres, so thank you."
"There is 3.3sec between myself and [Filip], I think we made it up so thanks to my team, my family, Igor and everyone moving us up!"
"Never seems to be easy to be honest, can't seem to get one stage where it goes my way to be honest! Frustrating cause I feel with the seat time I have I feel I can be better than I am. Thanks to everybody who has helped me get here, tough weekend."
SS9
"Been an amazing experience to work with them on all the surfaces and especially here in Latvia, in the workshop and everywhere they give 110%"
"Very cautious, the ruts are very deep, we don't want to pop a tyre off the rim because we need to save them for the Power Stage."
"You can't feel anything, its just about surviving. It was crazy! You're not able to drive any corners properly - its a bit of a lottery!"
"Pace note wise it was better, but because of how rutted the road is we lost the line in a couple of corners, so it was difficult to say if it is good or bad."
"As I said earlier, it's nice to drive with four wheels, I've happy we've found the reason why it was so difficult yesterday. It was interesting because of the ruts and on the first corners I lost some time because I thought I had a puncture, which I didn't have. Big push on the Power Stage."
"The car is undriveable in these ruts, we should've gone higher and we didn't, we were thrown out of the ruts all the time."
"It's because of Michelin! It was not easy at the beginning of the stage, lots of ruts and lots of impact. Lets see the guys behind."
"It was quite challenging at the start with the ruts, but we tried to stay safe, we don't want to get a puncture. we'll see what the others do."
"I don't know what the issue is. I try to be as fast as possible, but it seems like we are stupid. Suddenly I forget how to drive, but it is what it is."
"Tania [Canton] asked of me 'to accelerate a bit more, or should I drive?' I can't let her drive!"
"I don't think anybody back home appreciates the level - back home you'd be clear ahead on any rally. I thought we were making progress but we're going backwards again, its a vicious circle."
"Surprised by the big ruts, got stuck in a ditch, so we're lucky to be here. It was nice after that."
"I put brake on in the first corner, there was a big rut and that probably stalled the engine. We started quite well, but for sure it's a shame. This is a crazy stage. Big ruts. Incredible."
"There are a lot of differences, I'm not driving it very well apparently, I felt the pain in my shoulder this stage so I couldn't push because I felt the pain when I went over the ruts. Its not too far to go though."
Spin
"For me the road had changed a lot, I didn't expect too many ruts at the beginning, but I improved throughout the stage, I have to be satisfied with what the time."
SS8
Off road at final corner - crew OK
"It was a really nice stage, with nice rhythm and nice flow. Good stage from us!"
"It was a very good stage, I am very happy, the stage was very fast but I'm happy and need to push!"
"The surface is very slippy, but its a pleasure to drive so fast on this surface!"
"Went too early to the corner and had to go with it. Thankfully we didn't go into the ditch and get stuck, but we had to turn the car around - a bit of an "oops" moment!"
"Not easy but enjoyable and very fast, its hard to understand the car in the fast sections but we keep pushing."
"A lot of loose gravel, we had to be a little bit slower I think and had to brake a lot. We enjoyed this though and look forward to the afternoon loop."
"I love this stage and all the stages of this rally in previous years. Its so enjoyable here."
"We wanted to extend the gap a bit more, so we can push more in the Power Stage. Tricky conditions here though, difficult to read the grip."
"I don't have any grip - I don't know what to do to be honest because we are really soft on the car, on the limit to be undriveable. We are at the limit - I just don't know what to do."
"Feels like first time driving rally car, we have some time now to check the videos and we can improve a little bit."
"It was really really slippy, we had a couple of wide lines so we lost some time there, but really fun."
"We had a big moment and went off the road for a little bit which is a shame cause it was going well so far."
"Yeah, we are happy. We can be better on the stage, we lost some time because of too much slide on the first section. Let's see on the second loop."
"There's quite a lot of standing water that might clear for the others, it was hard to push."
"I know this stage very well, I was pushing like hell, but the time is not here."
"Maybe I have to make some setup changes as I have been struggling with the grip this morning, but I have to keep driving."
"Need to keep my foot in a little bit more, on the whole it was better but [Cais] should be in front of me. I'll catch him back up!"
"Almost spun on a quite fast left hander, so lost some time. Now I'm trying to push again because I'm so far back on the time! Chicanes are a disaster too, I don't know what to do."
"It's an amazing feeling to drive this beautiful stage, on these beautiful Michelin tyres, in this beautiful car!"
"I did something wrong apparently. Let's see the second pass and I'm enjoying!"
Off road moment - back on the stage
"It's a really nice stage, for sure it's quite complicated with the rain. The rhythm of the stage is nice and so is the flow, we enjoyed it!"
SS7
"I'm enjoying being at home and driving near my country house, it was a pleasure to be near friends. I lived most of my life here and I hope my friends feel I'm here."
"In this game you can never relax! Its hard to gauge the speed - just trying to find the balance of keeping it clean and keeping it steady."
"Not so good, I struggle a lot in there to be honest, I felt I couldn't drive the car as there was a lot of understeer and a lot of oversteer."
"Not easy, the pace notes are too slow. Very hard to read the road when it's so wide. The recce speed is slow."
"Now its much easier when we have four wheel drive car, thanks to the guys who found the problem. Now its easier that we have rear wheels!"
"Nothing to say really, its just we need to get used to being in the back now. Its very different to what it was yesterday."
"It was a really fast stage so the pace notes are good, but we need to find confidence to keep the speed on the corner. Let's go step by step - it's our first time here."
"There's a lot of boys behind me with even bigger big boy pants! We made some changes overnight which have helped so!"
"It was in the fuel pump there was an issue, we try our best but the time is not so good. Maybe the road position is not good. But it's OK - let's continue."
"We are satisfied when we're higher on the overall standings. We have to be conscious that the other guys are really fast. For the first time, we have to be conscious that we want to learn and we are learning. I am not young, I am not 20, but I can still learn a lot."
"We made a few changes, tried to make the car a bit stiffer. It felt a bit strange at the beginning, so I wasted a lot of time there trying to get used to it. I probably could've pushed a bit more."
"Very good, clean stage, so it's okay. Sometimes when we come into the forest it can be standing water and very slippy, so it can be tricky."
"We wanna race for [top 10], it was a really fast stage and a good one, but the first position looks like a good position for today, so let's see what today brings!"
"We need to enjoy today, these stages are faster so I'm trying to understand the car and enjoy today as much as possible."
"Its pretty wet to be honest and it isn't easy for us to open the road, the stages are very fast. But its okay, we are here."
SS6
Spin
"The rain was getting worse, but we are safely through that's the main point. Let's see what's tomorrow."
"We will see tomorrow, but as I said before if everything works well, we absolutely want to try!"
"It was great fun for the spectators, I tried to push a little bit because I want to make at least one position back!"
"Satisfied with the fact I'm here, it's raining so it's not a good ending!"
"Yeah it was starting to rain proper heavy, as we were starting, but we finish the stage and we'll see for tomorrow now."
"This stage was so slippy, so I tried not to do any mistakes. For sure, we're not happy with our day. We had a few problems like a fuel pressure issue, so the car didn't work well for the last two stages."
"It has been a challenging day. Honestly, we love it, we need to learn how to go in these kind of fast roads. We should learn - there is always something to discover. I like the stages and enjoy them."
"We have the weekend started, we're happy with the recovery so far, but lots of work to do tomorrow."
"Not too happy, we'll see tomorrow"
"For sure some stages were good for us, but in the end we are quite happy with some stages. Let's see what our position will be tomorrow, we will try and show something."
"Gonna be interesting to see what happens tomorrow, going to have to wear the big boy pants!"
"We are happy to be here in the finish in the first day so let's see tomorrow."
"We enjoyed it, I need to thank my friends, we have low friction in the centre and I think it's better."
"Only front wheel drive cars, it's impossible to go on this roundabout, it's the same problem I've had all rally. We can improve from this day, we've been pushing quite a lot and the times are quite bad so."
"I very much enjoyed it! First time setting the pace with this car, super fun!"
"Difficult stage, felt like we went round the roundabout forever. I am happy with how this afternoon has gone though, just getting used to the car, but we're on the edge of the top 10, so good to go to bed on some positives tonight."
"Mega slippery! Gravel tyres on wet Tarmac is never easy, but good one. Considering our position in qualifying, we definitely made the right decision."
SS5
Double puncture
Slowely slide into ditch before flying finish.
"It was quite steady, again a new stage, we took it a little bit steady, so it was good."
"Same as the previous one, getting quite soft. Driving is just like normal, but difficult."
"It was fun, for the first time today I had fun, we'll keep this pace, it gives me satisfaction as driving. It was about having fun, that was my main thing today."
"Probably a bit too fast, as I ended uo on the outside a bit. I'm doing my best for sure."
"I'm really disappointed. I don't know what is happening, it's frustrating. It is what it is"
"It was a good one, but nothing special. A bit too much slip again, but OK."
"It was the same story for us, especially in fast sections of the stage I was struggling. It's OK, we are here, we will try to improve for tomorrow."
"It's quite hard to find the rhythm, one more to do today, come to service and see what we can do tomorrow."
"A setup change in the road section made the car better and the feeling better, so I'm happy."
"Just a bit too careful in this one, I don't drive it a lot, we'll see tomorrow, it's another day."
"I can't have a smile, I don't know what the problem is. I need to do my homework again."
"Mega slippery, the worst stage of the day for me, I couldn't get any rhythm and I was expecting a lot from that one."
SS4
"This one was better, a few mistakes, but it's alright thank you."
"Felt quite OK, tried to be clean and tidy, but the road is getting really soft, so hard to say."
"It was a weird one, I don't feel that I can push so much on this stage, but it's a clear stage for us. Sometimes you feel like you need to lower the risk and that's OK."
"I'm trying to enjoy and find a safe place that keeps me happy, so I'm trying to find it. So far, we've done a cautious stage but this is my goal."
"It's going quite fast to be honest, I felt like I did a good stage but still leaving a bit of potential, but not happy to lose time so I need to increase my speed."
"I try my best, but it's very soft, I need to check we are OK on the power. Time is not good."
"I suppose it went well. If you go with good pace, you are behind!"
"That was a very clean drive, probably underdrove it a lot because of the pace notes. The rain slows things down but you could go a lot quicker."
"This one was the best one since the beginning of the day, lots of road cleaning but I enjoy it, maybe too much slide but again, very good."
"To be honest, it was quite difficult, we really enjoyed the stage, there's a lot of places to improve especially in the pace notes."
"Big commitment, it's quite a nice stage, but it's hard to know how much of the road you can use. We need to keep chasing."
"Not easy to understand, we are here though, that is the most important for me."
"Trying to learn as much as I can, it's the first time I start with so much loose gravel, but it's time to focus on my driving and learn as much as I can. We will see what happens for the rest of the day."
"It was quite nice, really clean run, last right hander I missed because I was too slow. Best stage in this rally, I really like it. The best tactic for us is not to look at the time and just to enjoy."
"I'm very surprised, it was the best stage so far and the car felt amazing."
"Felt a bit better, we made some changes to the car but I wasn't trusting it. Difficult to find the balance, I'm putting my life in the hands of my engineer Emi. Its a new experience in this car, so I'm trying to find the balance."
"Quite okay, fastest through so far! It's a great surprise to be fighting top five, I think we did a good decision considering our situation, so."
SS3
"Slippy, really slippy! Especially the first part where you're on the release. Sometimes it feels I'm losing the front wheel and it affects my driving, but an improvement from yesterday."
"This wasn't easy, I was quite cautious because the weather is changing and the surface is changing, but it was interesting."
"It was quite good, still losing the lines when driving too much in some places, but not too bad a rally."
"There was so much loose gravel, it was so slippery, but this one was so cool even if it was short!"
"I was being cautious, I want to enjoy it and I don't think I will do anything more."
"There's not a lot to say, I stalled the car in braking, when you brake too hard and it's slippy, you stall it. We stopped and it took some time to restart."
"It was a bit difficult for us in the Tarmac. Suddenly a big rock came and I felt the impact, so I took 1km slowly. Thought I had a puncture but it didn't appear so shoutout to my MRF Tyres!"
"Was really slippy, I didn't get a good grip on this one. Hope its okay."
"Now that we can see, we can drive a bit harder, probably attacked a few places a bit too hard. It was an OK stage but not a clean stage."
"Feeling strange after lots of rain, good experience for sure."
"It was definitely more fun than this morning, this time without any mistakes, but hopefully our time is good. We'll see."
"It was OK, I never thought I'd welcome the rain so much!"
"I was too careful at the beginning of the stage in the Asphalt section."
"Slippy, really slippy! Especially the first part where you're on the release. Sometimes it feels I'm losing the front wheel and it affects my driving, but an improvement from yesterday."
"Quite okay, tried to calm down, wasn't so easy with the rain but it was OK."
"I don't know what I have to do to be honest, just so inexperienced in these conditions with this car. We're going backwards but we'll see what happens."
"The thinking was that probably first position is a little bit better than third, this stage will not be so good for us, there's no dust so there's no advantage and we were a bit loose."
SS1
Differential --> Rally2
Rolled at 5.4 km into the stage. Crew OK
Puncture
"Definitely didn't feel like second, it felt quite cautious. There's some quicker guys to come through so let's see what happens but it was honestly quite tricky."
"There is lots of dust, but its always great to start the rally."
"It goes well, I don't know the time, luckily we started two minutes after our colleagues. We finished so we are happy for that and we will go ahead on the rally."
"Something wrong here."
"To be honest, it's not the best feeling for sure. We brake a lot, but this is not ideal for the rally. It was a lot of dust for sure. I really like the car and these kind of stages, but I just want to see the road."
"Feels good, we have a good flow, but there's no traction, you don't feel like you're moving forward. I feel like I'm driving bad, but I don't know. We need to see."
"I got a little bit too much cut on that corner, but its nothing, its only the mirror!"
"The line was pretty good, but the dust was a big problem. It was tough but I'm happy we're here."
"I'm sure everyone is struggling, difficult to get a rhythm, you can get sucked into a ditch just by missing your braking point. Hopefully when the sun comes up the dust will disappear."
"Yes it's very tough, there's a lot of dust, so it's difficult to see the line and it's very fast and very tricky. We have two spare tyres, to be sure!"
"It was tough, we enjoyed part of the stages, but it was difficult with the dust."
"Honestly, I have experienced this in Wales, but it was fog not dust."
"This one was crazy, half the stage I didn't know where it was! Its crazy out there. There were some places I didn't know where I'm going!"
"Driving wise, it wasn't too much risk, but cause of the dust it was really difficult to see in places. From my side the pace notes are not too good either."
"Sometimes I drove really slow because I couldn't see the road, it was bad sometimes. I need to build confidence with the pace notes in this situation, in the second loop it will probably be more of the same."
"As I said I'm here to enjoy it and I'm not enjoying it, I'm not satisfied with my driving."
"We are driving at 190kmh, but we can't see anything."
"We could go more, but it was really dusty, in some places I gave throttle in the middle of the stage, it's hard to understand how much we're staying in the lines. What we gain on the road position in terms of lines, I believe we struggled with dust."
"Stupid, you're in the middle of a corner and you don't even know if you can see the road or not."
"We were flat out and you can't see anything, so you brake and lose a lot of time. I think I lose 1 minute. Horrible!"
"Was really difficult for us, I went off the road. This stage was disaster for us, really struggled to get into the pace and we got in trouble."
"The dust was ridiculous, we survived, it's very hard but we'll keep going on."
"We don't have grip like everybody I think and in some places I need to brake in the long roads, but it's all part of the game"
"It's not good like this"
"Lot of dust on there, impossible to drive fast. Quite a lot of cleaning and as a result the times are not so good."
"You can't see a thing. To be fair to the boys in front, they were smart with their road position."
"Surprisingly okay actually, but it's tricky to understand where you can push a bit more, but its good experience for the future for sure."