27. Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2018
15. 11. – 18. 11. 2018, Coffs Harbour • gravel 318.64 km • total distance including road sections - 1017.07 km • Other years
Info
SS24
"It has been too long, it's been two very long years. I was losing the hope that I wouldn't win a rally. These tricky conditions went my way. It is great that victory also secured the manufacturers' title!"
"This podium feels proper! The couple we've had in the last year we've taken from other people's problems. Every year we've improved in Australia so if we're here next year then really we should take victory!"
"For sure I'll miss the Yaris, I will. But I'm looking forward to new challenges. I'm thankful for the team and their support, they've got such a big passion for rally. Hopefully Jari will come through and we'll win the manufacturers' title, that's what everyone deserves."
"It is difficult because the season was so intense and just happening in between two stages - getting the message on the road section. I'm so proud of my team, you are the best! We had such an amazing time together. I just had a final push in this car! I can't wait to see the team again."
"It's been a difficult thing, many times I've had to accept and put up with it [moving aside] but I'm glad he's won the crown. He's done a great job and I'm happy for the whole team, they've all worked really hard. Hopefully more to come."
"It's been really, really tough. I love this thing so much, but I've been through hell and back to get here. Just need a few things to go the right way again."
"Top 10, it is more than a dream for me! It is fantastic. It has been a difficult week for me, but we've achieved a great result and I'm very happy."
spin
"I'm sure we could have had a good result in this rally. It would have been nice to change things around this weekend but I guess we'll have to wait until Monte Carlo. I'm sure we'll start there in good spirits and come back strong."
SS23
"It was increduble, so demanding, so nasty places, had to be really, really patient. I heard Ott has stopped, I'm very sorry for him. Very tricky conditions."
"When we got 20 seconds behind we just have to make no mistakes, on some of the creeks we were so slow we could have walked faster. It's not over until the fat lady sings!"
"It felt horrible, you cannot enjoy it. Even if I needed to push you can't enjoy it. Safely through."
"It is incredible, it is hard to keep the car on the road even driving so slow. I am just trying to go through and it so difficult, it is crazy."
"We just nipped wide and slide a little bit and the door popped open. Just a small impact and then couldn't reverse because the door was stuck against the tree."
"Still muddy but it was okay. Careful with the driving, just once I needed to reverse."
were off road
were off road
SS22
"It was a good stage for us. The first 3km was very slippery. It started to get better but there were some corners that were slippy."
"We heard Thierry was out. Obviously not the best way to finish the year for Thierry but we've still got our job to do for the rest of the day."
"We have two difficult stages to go still, nothing is missed and nothing is done yet. The conditions are tricky."
"I was so slow on the first pass that I could mark all the slippery places and now it is okay when you know where it is slippery!"
"I haven't seen him actually, but I hadn't started the stage when I heard he was off. I was driving the stage like my granny would do!"
"Very difficult conditions, it wasn't as bad towards the end but still some random corners with zero grip. When I saw Thierry stopped I just backed off completely to be honest."
spin
SS21
"I don't think we will fight, we need to keep Paddon behind."
"There was one jump I've never done this way and we bottomed out and went sideways a little bit. It's all okay though."
"I think on speed alone we can't quite get them but we'll keep pushing. We're just driving at a safe place but we don't want to be too far behind if they spin or make a mistake."
"On the slippery, we changed the car to suit those conditions, the car is really sensitive and small changes make a big difference. In the dry this car is really difficult to drive with the set-up."
"This stage I was enjoying, you could see that the conditions were dry but the first two were not so nice conditions-wise."
"At the moment I don't need bonus points, I'm just trying to finish the rally. This morning the conditions were tricky."
"I'm not convinced it is that critical [to stay between Ogier and Neuville], if Seb stays ahead it is enough. Just doing a good clean job."
"I have nothing to lose so I don't care so much. A small mistake in the previous stage - it is really tricky when the conditions are like this. Just trying to have fun and see what's going on."
"On the stage the conditions were much easier and the grip was much more consistent. It was a good run for me, there were a few places where I could be a little faster but it's not so bad."
"I don't know. Something inside on the grass, I wasn't off line so it must have been something hidden. I don't know what I have to do any more."
SS20
"I was stuck in reverse gear for a bit, what can I say? The plan is to stay ahead of Paddon, for sure it is not easy."
"For sure it has been a difficult morning I must say. You have to read the road all the time. I don't know what we'll do with Ott because Paddon is not so far off, the situation is changing a little bit."
"We're just trying to pick a good speed, we're just keeping the pressure on the front but then also keeping the gap behind. I made a little reminder to Jari what happened last year - it's not over til it's over!"
"You keep saying it is a good battle! But on the previous stage I said this is not the game! Normally it would be but not today, it is all about keeping Seb behind."
"So difficult, at least the last kilometre is dry now but it is super slippery in there. Not a relaxing Sunday for sure!"
"It was okay, very tricky conditions to be honest. Some places the grip is reasonable and then in other places you just take off. Guessing it off the colour but the guess work isn't always right!"
"Not feeling that, just on a very tight corner I went in straight and followed the lines of everybody else, had to reverse back out."
"It is difficult, especially when the grip is changing a lot. First time for me seeing these conditions and to be honest that was one of the hardest conditions."
" Two spins in places where I thought I'd braked enough. I think there'll be a bit of trouble in this one."
SS19
"Stage was slippy for sure, we lost all the power in the car at one point. Luckily it started again."
"I thought that Hayden is going to attack very hard so of course I had to do something because I didn't know his speed."
"Really difficult to find the rhythm, some places the grip is nice and sometimes there is no grip at all. As long as we can keep the pressure on anything can happen."
"It was a tricky stage, I was not so happy. It was very boggy in there, not a lot you can do with the bogginess."
"We just need to finish and that's it, anything can happen in these conditions. I will be the back up and not push too hard. All about the team today for sure."
"In the dry conditions it is challenging, but when it is wet it is worse because it is difficult to judge the grip."
"Thierry has gone in there to take a few big risks, it was an okay run but it looks like he is pushing."
"I tried, very tricky. Some parts are maybe getting more dry and some more slippy. Some risks yes."
"Some really slippy stuff on the red sections in places, but the grip is generally okay."
"On braking it is a nightmare, also there are some parts in the middle that are very tricky, I think if you go faster than me you go out and I was very, very slow through there."
SS15
"The balance was not so nice, it was about surviving. Changing the balance but it is not so nice still. The conditions are so tricky, I can't even understand what I just went through. I don't know what to say."
"I should have taken two spares, I did a mistake by only taking one. My tyres are starting to go off now."
"Difficult, we had bald tyres on the front and good tyres on the rear. If Mads' tyres are quite bad we could be through, we made a tyre choice for the whole loop so we should get an advantage for longer."
"It was okay. Our tyres were a bit worn from the previous one so didn't push too hard on this one. Clean stage, nothing special."
"When you back off you lose the rhythm so I just went for it on this one."
"All okay at the moment, all under control. We have to carry on."
"I was struggling in the end. At the end we had good grip, but the line was quite narrow so it was difficult to go fast.
"It's all okay. Very, very difficult actually, quite deep sand and the grip was quite low. In here, I didn't suffer with the understeer and oversteer as much."
"I don't think so, from being a car ahead of him I don't think it is possible. It is much hotter than expected so I couldn't use my soft tyre."
SS14
stopped in stage, mechanical issue
"Felt nice, struggled a bit with the rear - spun in a really narrow place and had to go back up the road to turn it around, probably lost 10
"It is not too bad, just trying to get into the rhythm. We're not fighting for anything so we don't take that last bit of risk. But I must say, Ott's time is very fast, I don't think I could compete with that."
"Not at the moment, I'm trying to drive to the limit but it is just not faster at the moment. I'm just lacking balance to the car, it is very nervous and difficult to control."
"We're prepared to drop a little bit on this stage so we've got some good tyres for the next one. Definitely overheated the tyres a little bit on this one."
"I do my best. I do everything I can. It is not easy conditions but at least it is consistent. Fun, but at the same time going my best. Manufacturers' title is the priority so definitely we need to secure this one."
"It is just a bit boring at the moment, I though I could gain a few seconds here and there to Hayden but he was too fast on the last one. The gaps are quite big in front and behind me, it is hard to concentrate."
"The second loop is easier I would say, in the morning it is a bit tricky. I almost had a stall at the start but then I had a clean run."
"I would like to be faster, but Thierry is fast. It is slippery in places but it has been okay."
"On this test, I don't know why but I didn't have the feeling I've had all day I think something small might have broken in the back - I'm getting understeer on entry and oversteer on exit."
"I can only try to catch the two cars in front of me and see what happens.
SS13
"It is an intense fight for sure. To be honest it is all about confidence and trying to find a good feeling with the car on the surface. It is tricky just to make everything perfect."
"I don't like having two spares in the car, it isn't good for driveability. It is a good fight going on because Paddon is not letting us have it easily."
"I love this stage, and the next one, it is amazing to drive - I could drive like this 365 days of the year. Most fun I've had in a rally car this year!"
"I am focusing on my drive, focusing on the rally. This stage is really loose and cleaning a lot so we know we are not in the greatest position."
"The feeling is still good in the car, nothing to complain to be honest. Felt like I was not pushing at all, but all the time I was on the clean lines. At the moment I am fastest but the guys behind are going quick I tell you."
"Right now I am in a position where I have enough points so I don't want to take any extra risk."
"It was a bit better than the morning loop but still not the best rhythm with the driving."
"Surprisingly so, so loose in here. Couldn't believe how loose it was now for the second pass."
"We are driving flat out, i pushed really hard on this one but it is impossible - the road conditions are a disaster. I will never give up though."
SS11
puncture
puncture
puncture
accident
"Just hard to match the Toyotas. Car is faster on the stage, seems like all three Toyotas are going well in there. Much lower grip. I have some new tyres, that might help this afternoon."
"He's been driving fast, on the team side they told me to focus on the driving and the team and not focus on Ott."
spin + puncture + broken suspension
"It's not over yet! This stage is my achillies heel, it always has been. Probably too smooth in places so we can improve a lot. We've only one bad stage on the rally so that's not too bad."
"The championship is definitely not in our hands so there is no point thinking about that, but we are doing all we can. Another clean stage, let's see what happens."
"It was not a good stage from me, I did a lot of mistakes, bad lines. Ott should be much, much faster."
"The loop is finished, so even if Thierry can't fix his problems he can just go to service. We are quite far from any fights so we just try to drive through."
"Still struggling with the rhythm on the loose gravel and tough to find the braking points. Second loop should be better."
"Not so loose as before the road surface, but it is a completely different type of stage so we don't know how it will evolve."
"Something is broken, but the car is still able to drive."
SS10
"Now I'm not happy with my tyre choice, with what we know it was not an easy choice for sure. The car is working well but when you have a mix of tyres and two of them are not working it makes it difficult for sure."
"It is very exciting. It seems that Mr Tänak has had a good push and we are still good over Paddon."
"The throttle was sticking open, every time I pressed the brake it was nosing the car on. Really, really horrible I don't know what the hell it is. Try and get it fixed before the next one."
stopped
"We had a good stage, feeling really good in the car today. I've got the softs on the rear and I was probably too aggresive because in the last 5
"I try my best. It is really warm and I guess the soft was maybe not optimal. This will be the key stage of the loop. Still enough stages left for the rally win."
"This is getting much cleaner all the time. After each car the conditions are improving so it is tough to gain time to the cars starting behind me."
"It was better. But it is obviously very, very loose today and it is going to be hard to catch some positions to be honest. But the main goal is to stay ahead of Thierry."
"The conditions have changed a lot from yesterday and now I'm struggling for grip and trying to find the braking points on the loose gravel."
"It is tricky out there for sure. Some places are very difficult - I could feel myself going deep in some places."
"Nothing we can do. It is very frustrating but it is like this. No line at all. Nothing I can do."
SS9
"Try to enjoy today as much as I can. Not much to drive for, but the stages are beautiful, it is always a pleasure to drive them."
"It felt okay, no big drama in there. A little bit different conditions than I expected, it is quite soft and feels very heavy at the back, but it is better than being first."
"It was a pretty good stage for us, a few places we went a little bit wide. Hayden was attacking and it will be interesting to see what Mads is doing."
"Not pushing too hard and didn't have the best rhythm, hopefully we'll resolve that on the next stage."
"Really starting to get into the groove. These stages are great to drive on. Some places I'm still a little under-committed so I need to fix those bits."
"I did a good stage, but right in the beginning I had a lot of deer on the road."
"It is cleaning a lot, I just kept it on the line. You cannot push, you just need to follow the line."
"We have not the same level of attack as yesterday, I was hesitating a bit too much there - I'll look for a better rhythm on the next one."
"I was driving a bit too carefully, but it keeps the car straight and on the line. I think I can drive more aggressively."
"It is going to get better and better with every car that passes, I think my improved time is only natural."
"There is hope for sure. We can't do much without the rain because of cleaning all the loose gravel. We will continue driving and hoping that the god of rallying exists."
SS6
retired after SS5 with fuel pump problem
"It's been really good. It was more challenging than I thought with the hard tyres this afternoon. I had the same car on all the stages so I could push well. It was absolutely in the plan to be leading!"
"I'm part of the game and just need to follow the rules. The pace has been good and it was easier to drive on the second loop."
"Quite lucky really, we damaged a wheel on the last stage and the spare was a badly worn soft. Happy to minimise the time loss."
"Doesn't that sound so much nicer and easier to say!"
"Yeah, that's it really. We're all competitors at the end of the day wanting to compete - especially when you haven't got a seat next year - but we have to respect the decision of the team, at the end of the day we're employed to do a job and that's how it is."
"We thought Neuville was 6.9sec quicker but then realised he was a minute slower. The stage wasn't too bad, towards the end there were some slippy places."
"I need to save the car! My front-end is quite damaged. That was a heavy water splash it seems. It is nice that the engine managed to keep running after these 15 or 20 seconds misfiring."
"Some moments we had because of the missing aero, some places you turn and nothing happens - not a great feeling. I need to try, but the mistakes I've done so far - I don't like these ones."
"On the landing of a jump the tyre came off the rim."
left rear puncture
"I push like crazy, this was worse than this morning - I was on the limit, including on the jump."
stalled in chicane
SS5
"Everything fine, it didn't feel completely perfect like this morning but the time is good so we must be doing something right."
"It was a clean stage and a good drive. Let's say we are following the plan."
"Not a bad stage, really enjoyable with a nice flow. The last part reminds me of home, for the whole loop the tyres should work well. It is pretty close between everyone so it is small margins but there is a little bit left."
"Much better than the first one, it was obviously a bogey one. I have a medium tyre on the rear so I'm trying to manage it the best I can."
"The stage was all fine for me, no problems."
"It was a good stage, no mistakes, generally good clean drive."
"The same speed as on the first pass. I believe it is okay for the next stage."
"The front was in the watersplash and took all the front away I guess. We had damage on the previous one, it is running like a dog."
"The stage was okay, different tyre strategy than Ogier, let's see if it is working. I can't do much more."
"The grip is better, but it is still getting a little bit better for the others. I have done two stages now where I am on the limit - I cannot do any more."
SS4
"This was the stage where we would sacrifice a bit to gain later so I am pleased with that."
"The driving was a bit better and I was quite happy with the driving. Maybe I could have gone a little bit faster."
"Sun is shining and it's hot so the hard is the only option. I knew this stage wouldn't be great for the hards but they should be spot on for the next one. I'm starting to get a bit of mojo back too."
"I had a couple of silly slides and mistakes but it is not bad - it's only two seconds."
"It's to be expected, so it's fine. It's just how it is."
"It is okay, we lost a little bit to Ott and Esapekka but they were running a mix of tyres while I'm running full hards. The next stages should be better for me on the hards."
"The road was more slippy which was a surprise for me. I expected more grip but it wasn't there. I went for the hard tyres but I don't think it is the tyre choice, it is more the surface."
"At the start I hit the pole. It is affecting the way the car is handling."
"We are on a different tyre strategy and for me I think this is the worst stage. I'm on three hard and two soft and he is on two soft and three hard so let's see what is working better."
"Not really fantastic line, honestly I was on the limit the whole stage - I cannot do more."
SS3
driveshaft problems
puncture, spin and staled
stopped in the stage
stopped at 11,8km after an heavy landing. Broken radiator
"It was very enjoyable! What can I say? It was a beautiful stage and I had a good rhythm through there, I was thinking back to Finland when I was on the start line there. I didn't do this stage last year, but the car was great, it was a good morning all in all."
"It was quite challenging, our first time here and I was too careful on those bumps because they look quite hard, but it was not too bad."
"Definitely coming back to me, the first half of the stage was really good. Struggled a little bit for the rhythm for the last five or six Ks but it's alright."
"Not great, I think I have a cracked disc - very tricky through the stage. Few big jumps, couple of buckoos if you want to call them that."
stopped - damaged car after off
"It's been a nice morning. I've been enjoying it. Here, the new man-made bumps are really nasty but it is the same for everybody. They are on such fast sections."
"It was a really big bump and it just threw us off the road. It damaged the wheel as well, it lost me time towards the end."
puncture
"I tried to do a good stage, but I got a huge kick on one of those jumps and almost rolled - I took it a bit steady after that."
"It is the worst, we knew it before. I guess this one is going to be hard. I think I will be cleaning again this afternoon."
SS2
"The stage is beautiful but I didn't enjoy it. I was unable to have any rhythm, I don't know why. The car was working and Torstein was doing his job on the notes, I just need to some time to get back into it again."
"I tried to keep the car on the line, and I was braking too hard - too aggressively - on a couple of occassions, but quite okay."
"Really struggling for a rhythm this morning, because I've been out of the car for a wee while I'm struggling to get with the notes and the car. The car itself is fine, it's just me trying to get in sync with the car and the notes."
"Mediocre, I'm struggling with the front of the car to be honest. I can't get the car to work how I want, but at least the time is going in the right direction."
All pretty good I think, not perfect everywhere but pretty good."
"It was an okay stage, nothing more, nothing less. Could have gone faster, wasn't too efficient. Hope it will be better on the next stage."
"The car is working well. I was very happy to drive. One slippy left-hander - a junction where I jumped a bit more than I expected."
"To be honest, it didn't feel so good. It was so wide and I was too cautious. I felt like I had a lot of room on every corner. Lot of margin for sure, I can try to go much faster."
"The stage was okay, but there is still a bit of cleaning. Definitely not on the limit, still just the second stage."
"It was a good stage, it is difficult one but I tried to do a clean stage. I saw the lines of Seb, very wide everywhere, I tried to calm it down and be a bit more efficient."
"Good feeling, I push and I cannot really do more than this. The end of the stage is really dry so that will affect the times."
SS1
"Not a bad start, I struggled a bit in some sections with some understeering. But when it was working it was working nice, but with the two understeerings I made two mistakes in some pretty important corners."
"Feeling was okay, grip was quite high so I could push a little bit harder."
"No problems, just didn't have a very good rhythm in there. A little under-committed in some placed and over-committed in others."
"It felt not so bad, but maybe a little bit careful - it's the way of the game here unfortunately."
"It was an okay stage, careful in places - first stage just trying to get myself dialled in. Happy enough, happy enough."
"This stage, we were running this in the shakedown yesterday so it was already pretty clean and we don't have the cleaning effect as much. It was pretty slippy in some places though."
"It was a good start, very clean run. Pretty happy for that. Seems the set-up is good, now we go on a little different kind of surface so I hope it works good there as well."
"Feeling is good, the grip is quite high. It is surprising, but the next stage will be a completely different surface."
"In this stage there is not much difference, in the first kilometre there is a little bit of cleaning. Had a good run, nothing major. There is still margin to improve."
"I would have wished for a bit more rain for sure, it is quite dry - not optimum."