13. Rally Italia Sardegna 2016
9. 6. – 12. 6. 2016, Alghero • gravel 322.82 km • total distance including road sections - 1289.75 km • Other years • Other years
Info
SS19
"Thanks to the team. A nice weekend apart from one puncture - that's it. This stage was like Dakar. I feel too young to drive this sort of stage!"
"It's been a tough weekend - especially the last stage, almost impossible to turn the car in the hairpins."
"A fantastic result. I thought top five here would be good. Thanks to the DMACK guys for giving me the chance to drive. I think I've proved I still have some speed in me. I hope to be back in Poland and Finland where I can push much, much harder."
"We had a great weekend. Great things come to those who go and earn it. This result goes to Philippe Bugalski. He helped me a lot with my career and it would have been his birthday today. Hopefully this win will set me up for the rest of the season. A great confidence boost."
"One of the hardest final stages I have driven. I wanted to drive fast but save the car too."
"Such big ruts it was impossible to turn - I had to go backwards. I've never seen such bad conditions in a stage. It's been a very positive weekend in terms of points - and that's what matters most."
"Important points here. We worked really really hard and now we are second in the drivers' championship."
"The most tricky rally that I've ever done. I'm happy to get through. We have to sit down and work out what we can do in Poland."
"We are so, so happy. A big boost to our confidence. Good speed on gravel on the first and second loop. Thanks to the team and to Malcolm."
"I'm quite happy, flat-out! Difficult with the rear suspension in the ruts here but I did my best."
"My favourite rally of the year but from the beginning we struggled with the penalty decision. I will leave the championship now. I'm not happy with this situation. I don't know when I will come back."
"I went slow here so I can have a better start position in Poland. Not such fun for the TV but these are the rules."
"The technical problems can happen and the team did a good job to get us through. The positives are my first stage win and we got a nice set-up for the future. We worked really hard to get a rhythm. We really enjoyed this last stage."
"I went slow here so I can have a better start position in Poland. Not such fun for the TV but these are the rules."
"Okay, we finish and take some good experience, that's the most important thing."
"So rough in there now - a lot of stones on the road. We're happy to finish after so many problems."
SS18
"I would have liked to be fighting here but at the same time I'm pleased I don't have to go flat out here."
"We cracked our jack changing wheels, but the guys in the team helped to fix it."
"That's pretty comfortable now. If I do no mistakes it should be okay. We will focus on bringing the car back home - that's more important than pushing for Power Stage points."
"No attack, just trying go keep a good rhythm. There's no chance to close the gap. Let's see if we can get some points on the Power Stage. I have one new tyre to fit."
"All okay. Nothing changed for us, just trying to save the tyres. The next one is not the sort of Power Stage I'd like to push on but for sure one or two points would be good."
"It was okay. Just driving. A really clean line here. We will try to take some Power Stage points."
"Better on the second pass. Trying to push a little bit to see what we can do. I'm happy enough. On the Power Stage we will go easy. I promise. I want to be third on the road in Poland."
"Flat out."
"It was good. A couple of small mistakes." Plan for the next stage? "A win on the Power Stage is not the target."
"Nice rhythm. We want to save the tyres a bit for the last stage. It's so sandy we'll need the grip."
"More grip than I was expecting. We improve."
"Much better than the first time. The road is looking quite good."
SS17
"So much gravel but a lot of fun."
"So sandy here. Very slippery."
"A very pleasant morning I would say. Beautiful scenery but a tricky stage."
"It's a pity about Fuchs. It was a good battle with him."
"Okay, but so sandy it feels like we are in Dakar."
Jari-Matti never gives up! A pretty clean run but it's going to be tough for the car on the second pass here."
"I lost three seconds on the first stage and the gap is 19sec - I have no chance to catch Thierry without a mistake. I just try to find a comfortable rhythm without big risks."
"I missed a junction. Nothing very important. Very slippy and rocky."
"All good. No worries. It's been a tricky rally, I try to manage to get to the end."
"A bit like driving on the beach. So much sand. Not so enjoyable to drive. In conditions like this I don't think there will be a big push on the Power Stage."
"The rear suspension is broken so I just pushed as fast as I could. It's not easy but I don't care. I just drive."
His engine cuts out twice at the finish control. He looks very concerned and says nothing before leaving.
"Quite fine dust. Interesting to drive like this. It's a bit like Dakar. I hit a big stone in the middle of the car. Lots of stones on the road from Mikkelsen - he's pushing."
"Probably the worst stage I've ever done in terms of cleaning. "
"In one section I couldn't downshift properly. Then it stopped completely. I did a power cycle and now it seems okay. Difficult to get a clean run here."
Missed a junction near the finish.
"In places it's like the Sahara desert."
SS16
"A good stage for us. I tried to drive clean. The feeling is good and I'm much more comfortable with the balance of the car. I think we can continue like this."
"I tried to have a good run and not to take risks. We had a good rhythm but if Thierry's gaining three or four seconds here then without a mistake then no chance."
he overshot a junction at 8km. "I'm not fully concentrated. In really, really safe driving mode. There is a big gap in front and behind now, so it's just about saving the tyres ready for the Power Stage."
"It was okay. Normal. Not taking risks. Just watching the battle at the front."
"A nice stage, but like normal I'm struggling with the same thing. We're doing what we can."
"The rear suspension is broken on the right side," he explains. "It was broken when we left service earlier. So no fight here. A shame."
"Good. I like this stage. It should be good on the second pass. Henning is the target today."
"A nice start but there was a marshal in the road. Enjoying my driving much more than earlier in the event."
"It was alright. Trying a few different set-ups. Okay."
"I have to wake up a bit I think. Hard to get the rhythm. Much more grip than expected."
He overshot one junction. "It's very slippery."
"It's tough."
SS15
"A very difficult rally. Today some good times when everything is good but on this one we broke the shifter - so stuck in fourth gear."
"We went off on the first stage this afternoon and damaged the front of the car. We lost power and from then on I just concentrated on completing the loop."
"I really enjoyed this stage. I'm pretty happy that I'm learning the car - and in a safe mode too. Next time, if I come back, I can push much harder."
"A nice day. A few problems but I think it's okay."
"A good day for us but I lost the brakes for the last four kilometres in here."
"I have to be happy with my driving but one spin so not 100 per cent."
Stopped to change a puncture after 7km
He completes with hazard lights flashing. What's the problem? "After 15km we heard something cracking, then step-by-step we lost drive. The prop-shaft is broken and we drove the last 25km with two-wheel drive."
"The first stage win earlier today was good for the confidence. We don't drive the WRC car very often so I'm pleased we're making progress. Okay, we've learned a lot and I hope for another good day tomorrow."
"I broke the [anti] roll bar on the first stage. I've made a few changes since then. I really can't go any faster in this car."
"Something strange with the engine and the brake balance here. Difficult to drive. I'm pleased to get this one done."
"We were pushing in this one. No brakes at the end. I'm tired."
"The car in slippery conditions is just amazing to drive. We can go pretty, pretty fast. We've done another good day. It's been a pleasure to be fighting Jari-Matti. I'm happy. It will be tough tomorrow but we're going to prepare properly and keep fighting."
"This one was too long for us. Over the last 15kms we were driving very slowly. Tomorrow's shorter stages should suit us better."
Out. He has parked up near the end of the stage. Overheard on the radio asking the team to collect the car.
"I can't do better than this, I did a really, really good run. If Thierry is faster then respect to him. I was a bit too careful earlier this afternoon. Sometimes you have to play safe. Let's see how Thierry does. Whether there is still a fight tomorrow."
"I passed Mads and after that I drove more slowly, not to risk the car. But we also had a problem with a sticking throttle - very difficult in corners."
"I try as much as I could. There's nothing more I can do. I said before if I reached the podium here it would be a great result. The strange feeling at the rear was a problem on the faster sections of the previous stage."
is going slowly
SS14
didn't start the stage. Stopped and retired after SS13. Oil leak.
"We stopped in the stage once, we went off and had to turn the car around."
"Good but a lot of rocks on the line. A big hit to the front right. Lucky to not get a puncture."
A problem with the turbo I think."
"I spun and had to reverse once. Otherwise okay."
He completes with the hazard lights flashing. What's wrong? "Gearbox. We did it in a compression in the previous stage. We cannot jump or hit the gearbox now. I'm convinced we are going to make it but we have to be careful. We've had some great stage times but now we have to focus on surviving."
Hit a stone. Front left puncture
gearbox problem
"Working well. Too cautious at the start of the stage when there was so much rain and I could see nothing."
"I started in heavy, heavy rain for the first six or seven kilometres. Very tricky. I tried to avoid the worst of the water splashes. We limited the damage at the end. I was expecting to lose much more."
"It was like being in a pool for the first few kilometres. You couldn't see anything and all the ruts were full of water. The second half was dry."
"It was raining very, very heavily near the start and the road is getting slippery. Very difficult to drive here. Visibility in the high speed places is bad."
UPDATE: Crew okay. Car went off after hitting a rock. It has a broken track control arm. Mikkelsen and his co-driver are trying to fix it.
"It's okay. It started to rain in the middle of the stage. I will be difficult. The car is good. Not so bad. Better than before."
"Mikkelsen has crashed in a high-speed place. There were no trees around, I think he has rolled but they were both out of the car. It's raining heavily now in the stage. Not easy to judge the grip."
crashed- hit a rock (high speed roll)
stopped at the 18.5km
"Difficult. I think I have a problem with car. I don't know what but the rear is very unstable. Maybe a diff problem. Really uncomfortable to drive."
SS13
Part of his car's digital dash display has fallen off. "That's not good because I couldn't see what gear I was in or the optimum time to change gear. Otherwise a really good stage. There was one big impact though." His car is trailing oil as it leaves the finish control.
"The time is fine. A good stage. We are alright."
"I pushed hard. I sweat a lot. In the last part the car was jumping like hell, hitting rocks."
"It just exploded on the a straight. I was lucky."
"Not a good time if you compare to Dani or Sebastien. With so many rocks around I wanted to be careful. Maybe I was too cautious."
"Outside the line there is not a lot of grip. I'm happy with my time."
"A big confusion at the start with our start time. Andreas was late starting and the marshals wanted to send me in just one minute after him. We refused, but it's not good to be arguing just before the start. That was a distraction."
puncure FL
"Fine. I'm actually quite happy with my drive. He [Seb] did a great job here."
"No question on tyres. It's much too hot now for the softs. Struggled for grip at the rear. Some sections really rough. I tried."
SS12
trefil velkou díru a poškodil zavěšení tak, že ho nedokázal opravit = Rally2
"Lucky. We had no brakes for the last 20km."
A team spokesman tells us that Lorenzo is okay following the crash on SS12. Bertelli's co-driver, Simone Scattolin, reported neck pain and has been taken to hospital.
"Bohužel jsme zastavili ve zkoušce a nejsme dnes schopní pokračovat. Oba dva jsme v pořádku, jen jsme zklamaní."
"Nejeli jsme v závodním tempu. Pořadatel byl na cestě a ukazoval cedulku SOS."
"V místě Bertelliho havárky byla vidět SOS cedulka. Takže jsme zastavili. Myslel jsem, že zkouška je zrušená."
měnil kolo
dvojitý defekt
SS10
defekt
SS9
"The puncture has made this a very disappointing day."
"We are very, very happy. This position is a surprise for us. The car, the feeling and the tyres - all good!"
"I'd say I'm satisfied but not satisfied by today. We got a puncture on the previous stage and had to stop and change it. That ruined our strategy for this stage."
"Today has been good. Luckily we found good speed after the puncture, which was my mistake. Tomorrow let's see. I think we have enough pace to fight for the win."
"The feeling is very good but we lost some time in the previous stage with a spin."
"We stick to the plan we made before the rally," he says. "An okay day, not perfect. Reasonable. Tomorrow we need to be even more eyes open than today."
"Today has been much better in the afternoon, except for a spin in the first stage. We have made a lot of changes in a positive direction."
"A spin in this stage on the asphalt section. I had to stop and turn around. I lost maybe 15sec."
"We managed to find some traction in this last one. The rhythm was quite good. I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
"It's not been a very good day. Two punctures; one my fault, one I don't know. Still a long way to go."
"The car is okay now. I drive as fast as I can."
"A couple of good stages, but that's about all. Tomorrow is a new day. We'll change the set-up tonight."
"A good afternoon. We tried to push here but I made a mistake and spun which cost us around 15 seconds."
"A couple of good stages, but that's about all. Tomorrow is a new day. We'll change the set-up tonight."
"I think everybody is happy to see us back in the front," he says. "It increases our confidence. Tomorrow I hope to continue in the same rhythm and I hope it will be an interesting fight. We have had a lost of issues this year and the end of last year - it's well deserved."
"This stage I was in road mode. The rear right has gone. All we can do is drive through - and that's all. Like a fast recce."
"It's the front diff again," he says, shaking his head. "I can't get out of the corners quickly enough. It's been like this all day and it's getting worse. I cannot attack and the tyres are wearing. We have work to do."
"It doesn't look like it paid off," says Mads. "I've been struggling to keep the rear in the line. Okay, we are here but maybe it was unnecessary. Otherwise the car is working perfectly. I'm really happy about that. "
"Not a bad day but once you are off the line this is a very difficult rally. We need to do some modifications tonight to try and make the rear of our car more stable."
"It doesn't look like it paid off," says Mads. "I've been struggling to keep the rear in the line. Okay, we are here but maybe it was unnecessary. Otherwise the car is working perfectly. I'm really happy about that. "
"It's been a lot of work today. We haven't really got the loops we wanted - either of them. Early to bed tonight and let's get ready for tomorrow."
"I did the maximum I could. I've said before that my focus is to fight with the guys I have a chance to fight with - those near me in the start order like Mads and Andreas. There's not such a gap to them so not too bad."
SS8
"Better than the morning. I was really careful in the previous one and kept the ride-height high in here. Struggling for traction, like everybody I'm sure."
"I had a puncture. Stupid mistake."
puncture
"I am flat out. I cannot go any faster."
"Some noise from the rear. I don't know what it is but it is disturbing me a lot. The feeling is okay but the noise is horrible."
"We tried to do a good time but it is not really good. It felt like we were driving this stage for the first time. We couldn't do more but we know where we can gain time next time."
"It's going well. The car was sliding a bit on this stage, so I didn't feel too comfortable, but a good run in the clean lines. Out of those it is difficult."
"These are the only tyres I have for the next stage. Okay, slicks it is then..."
puncture RL
"I can't got at the speed that Thierry is doing. There's something strange with the turning - it's not ideal. There's something with the front diff and I'm not happy with it. I'm getting understeer, especially on the throttle, it's not biting."
"I tried to be in the rhythm but it is very difficult driving out of the line. I was braking too early. I hoped for a better time."
"Quite a good stage but I'm struggling with the balance of the car. In hindsight maybe just one spare tyre would have been a better choice."
"A clean stage but maybe I lost a little near the end. Maybe a bit too careful, I don't know."
"That shows how different the road surface is now," he says. "It's much more abrasive, much better than this morning."
SS7
puncture
Federico Della Casa has crashed and his Ford Fiesta RS is blocking the road. Crew okay.
"The throttle is still not working properly."
"A really bad stage for me. The car was set-up too soft for these conditions."
"Now the car is okay. We have fixed the earlier problem. We pushed but its not possible to do more."
"Jari-Matti did well but I pushed hard and finally the time is nice. The car is working okay in these conditions. When the ruts are already there I can push the rear into them."
"So grippy now. Nice to drive but still I think I went too quickly. I need to be very careful."
"A hard, technical stage. Lots of dust in the car - it came in through the roof vent."
off road in last corner
"We're losing a little by carrying an extra wheel but hopefully we'll make that up later with a fresh tyre."
"These stages are much better. Like I said earlier - it's a different rally now."
"I saw people at the end of the stage, just near the flying finish, but I didn't see Hayden."
"It's very slow in this stage, and there's not a lot of air in the car. So far I'm happy with my tyre choice. I try to make the best of it."
SS6
"A really enjoyable stage. Finally the car is accelerating and braking properly. Now we have to find a good rhythm this afternoon so we are ready for tomorrow morning."
"The car is fixed and I'm feeling better than I did this morning."
"The throttle is sticking. I had to turn the engine off to stop it. It seems better now. We lost a lot though. Not funny."
"I don't like this stage. I don't like the narrow sections. Not the best feeling this weekend. Trying to keep positive and enjoy it."
"Not very good. Something is wrong with the car. When I am on the throttle the car pulls to the left. We had a spin."
"I'm lacking confidence in the fast, narrow places. Really bad pace notes in this stage."
"I didn't feel really comfortable on stage. It was difficult for me. I took it a bit steady."
"It was alright. This is all about trying to survive."
"A good run for us. The car feels good."
"Good. The grip is a lot better this afternoon. My driving feels a lot smoother and under control. A clean drive is the objective today."
"Okay. Pretty much like this morning only cleaner. I'm carrying two spares and that does affect the balance of the car."
"That is an awful stage - so narrow and fast - but a clean run. Compared to earlier these are completely different conditions. It's a new rally for us at the front."
"Much better grip. This loop will be much better for me. A long way to go so no plans yet - just drive and let's see."
SS5
retired in SS
broken wheel
"I think he (Giordano) has hit a rock and broken a wheel. For us a good feeling this morning. I tried not to hit anything and here we are in the top five with no risks and no punctures."
stopped
"We struggled in the last couple of stages with the pop-off valve. No turbo. Apart from that I'm happy. I hope for a problem-free loop in the afternoon."
We hit something in the second stage on a right-hand corner - a rock I think. I had to change the steering arm in the stage. Since then we have no power steering. I hope for a better afternoon."
A badly punctured front-left tyre. "I don't know where it happened. A slow puncture to start I think then we drove for 6km like this."
"Okay. No issues at all and no mistakes. That's the strategy for today I think."
"Really hard. No feeling for the car and the tyres yet."
"Quite okay. Some things to look at in service but no problem."
"A little crash in the second stage today but a good morning."
"The car has more than 300hp through the front wheels but like it feels worse than an R2 car. We can't get any rhythm like this."
"Very tough and slippery but whenever I have four tyres on the car and I can change gears I go flat out."
"I'm still struggling with the motivation after the Stewards' penalty. It's hard to find the reason to push. Really difficult."
"The most important thing is to compete the race without retirement. It's a little bit hard to have that [problem] on only the second stage. This time it's not our rally."
Tänak's tyres are totally destroyed "They're well used, that's for sure. This is a hard rally for the tyres and we have work to do."
"Of course there is some road cleaning, which we try to turn to our advantage. Apart from the spin I think we can be pleased with the morning loop."
"I'm happy with the morning but it hasn't been easy. We were thinking all time about whether or not we had the right tyres. In the end I think it was the perfect choice."
"Very difficult to drive. Understeer and oversteer. Incredible. We almost went off in the first corner."
"The car's not perfect, we found the bolts were bent when we made the repairs."
"I tried to manage my tyres this morning and I'm pretty happy."
"The tyre wear was more than I expected and I didn't have time to change the tyres as I had planned to before the previous stage. Here I had to use one tyre that was completely gone. Still, we are here. That's the main thing."
"We expected to be on the limit like this. We had to try something. Overall I'm happy with the loop."
SS4
didnť start to SS4
"I had a good stage but I spun near the finish and lost six or seven seconds."
"Maximum attack!"
"A good time - better than I expected. A few mistakes. Overall I'm feeling positive."
"Not happy. Very slippery."
"We spun near the start and got stuck in a cloud of dust. When we were turning the car around we hit a wall and broke a rear toe-arm."
"Not so bad. A beautiful stage. I enjoyed it." His Fiesta's rear tyres are finished. "That's the plan. I'm off to change them now."
"Still a bit the same. I'm happy with my drive, with the job so far, but let's see how we do after the whole loop."
We've seen more tyre wear than I expected so I was cautious near the start."
SS3
broken propshaft
"The stage conditions are okay but the feeling with the car is strange. The balance isn't right. Maybe it's the anti-roll bar. I'll have to check."
"I think the rear diff broke somewhere near the start. In the first stage I already felt something strange with the front-right. I thought it was a tyre. Now I'm not sure. I hope to get through the next stages."
"I don't know how it's possible for him to do these times.(Ogier) It's impossible to go that fast, they must has a lot of traction. I expected to take more time."
"It's difficult to drive when it's like this. I did my best."
"It's difficult to know what the best [tyre] option is. The balance in the car wasn't great but over the whole loop I think we have a good plan."
"Very, very slippery everywhere. We do this one with these tyres, the next should be better."
"No braking grip on this stage but for whole loop it will be the best strategy."
"I'm happy with the tyre choice [3H&2S] but it was confusing to fit the right ones before this stage."
"We had to try something from our position at the front. Here we will lose a lot of time as the road cleans."
"They're quite on the limit but with so much loose [gravel] the softs are all I can do here."
SS2
Front-wheel drive only for the opening stage.
"Very tricky, very fast and narrow. The time is not so bad."
Stopped at the same place than Gorban - ROLLED too
stopped 700 meters after the start - ROLLED
"I pushed my best - as hard as I could!"
"The rear was moving far too much with the soft [compound] tyre at the rear and hards at the front. That knocked my confidence. I decided to take it carefully."
"I drove not very well. It was very narrow and fast. Don't worry - I'm confident."
"There was a stupid edge in the hairpin near the start. We spun and took a long time to get turned around. There's a long way to go."
"A good start. Maybe a bit too aggressive in the opening section but I have to be happy with this stage."
"Really difficult. Narrow and fast. The time is not so good."
Quite slippery. I really struggled for a rhythm. Not the tide stage I've driven - the guys behind will be quicker."
"Very slippery but exactly what we expected."
"Difficult, very slippery. No surprises."
A nice stage. Really fast. A proper wake up call. I was surprised by now slippery it was, but that's how it is. Now I have to build a good rhythm."
SS1
před startem závodu obdržel 5 minut penalizaci - rozhodnutí sportovních komisařů - porušená pečeť na zadním diferenciálu. (EDIT 27.6.2016 - Martin Prokop uspěl s odvoláním proti této penalizaci a ta byla včera zrušena.)
"Thanks to the Stewards for the five-minute penalty. I'm really angry about this. I have completely lost my motivation."
"Some mistakes. I went wide after the watersplash but good fun for the spectators."
"Normally you're not supposed to overtake on a stage like this! I'm looking forward to pushing more tomorrow."
Gorban spins on the first and second corners. He is caught and passed on stage by Abbring. "Something broken, maybe a diff or driveshaft," his co-driver explains.
"We made two mistakes but that's normal with the first super special. We feel comfortable."
"We had a bad start - a stall for a couple for seconds - but for this day that's okay. The real rally starts tomorrow."
He completes with front bumper damage and a lightly damaged front-right wing. "The stage is just for fun. Everything is okay."
"This rally will be very tricky. We try to do our best and get on the podium."
"It felt awesome! No other words. Great to be back."