57. RallyRACC Catalunya - Costa Daurada 2022
20. 10. – 23. 10. 2022, Salou • Real Automóvil Club Cataluña • asphalt 293.77 km • total distance including road sections - 1343.85 km • Other years
Info
SS19
5-second time penalty to be applied to the time recorded by Competitor No. 6 on SS19.
During SS19 RIUDECANYES 2, 0.09kJ hybrid boost on car No. 6 was used without valid regen.
"I had a good run and I was quite happy with the car balance in there. The tyres got very hot. I am relieved to be here and I think P2 is a good result. It shows that we got a bit more speed during the weekend but there is definitely something left and we're going to work hard for it."
"Benji's first win so I am very happy for him! It's fantastic to get the win because it was an important weekend for the team. It's not always easy to achieve such results and this season has been very dominant, so congratulations to Toyota Gazoo Racing."
"Not the ultimate result we wanted from this rally but I think it's not so bad either. Huge congratulations and thanks to the team. I think we really showed how talented the team is and we could have fun in the cockpit.
"I can only say I am a bit disappointed in myself. I'm just not able to understand the car and learn and I don't really know what I need to do. It's been on myself and I can't make it work. It's challenging."
"I just gave it everything but I was oversteering a bit at the end of the stage because the tyres were overheating. Thanks to the team for giving me another opportunity like this. I am learning all the time and it was amazing to see the fans here again. I'm sorry for the result but I really enjoyed it a lot."
"We've definitely made some steps in the right direction today, but still I suspect there will be a bit of homework to do now before we go to Japan."
"I made too many mistakes at the beginning of the stage. Thank you for the team and to my gravel crew. The car was fantastic all weekend. Unfortunately I could not perform as well as I wanted but I will try to improve for Japan."
"I am really happy. The car has been amazing all weekend and our pace was quite interesting considering all the pressure we had at the start of the rally. I really enjoyed the stages and it was good to be back."
NAGLE: "A bit emotional. It's been an incredible journey. I came into this sport as a young lad and I followed the dream. I have five wins and I leave as a husband and a father with so many memories. This mine beside me has been like a brother to me - he's brought me so much success. I also have to mention Kris Meeke - without these men I'd be nowhere, so thank you."
"I think we did a very good Friday but unfortunately we lost a few minutes. We are disappointed with that but we can take away some positives for my first time here."
"This is our first stage of the day without any issues, so it's a good ending. It was a very nice rally and I love it. I think we improved at our level and it was big fun this weekend."
"It was not a good weekend but it is what it is. We're just glad we got out again today. It's a new adventure in Japan - we can enjoy it there."
SS18
"One to go. Like we said this morning, we took it easy and tried to control the gap. It gives us some time to enjoy the last kilometres."
"I was maybe not so committed to the cuts at the beginning. I'm just trying to get through without any punctures or issues."
"We're definitely going to keep the pressure - anything can happen. It's quite dirty and we have seen a lot of punctures over the years in this stage. I could have done better but I think the gap is too big at the moment."
"It's still eleven seconds [to Rovanperä]. Performance doesn't make much difference at the moment."
"It was a big push. I could have gone a little bit better in some of the corners but the grip in this stage is amazing. You can really play with the car. Very enjoyable."
"For now we're just getting through and just working on a few little areas."
"I'm sure the guys are going to come fast behind. I just want to try and finish the rally with a good rhythm and not make any mistakes. The car is getting better and better with every stage we do but it would have been nice to have this from Friday morning. That's how it is."
"The softs are there for mental support in case it's raining!"
"I am just focused on what I am doing because the road is starting to be a bit more dirty. I had a clean stage and I was really enjoying it."
"There's not so much gravel on the road. We tried to be a bit more smooth and in the daylight it's better."
"It's been solved but now we have an engine issue. The beginning of the stage was very good and then I lost the power. I don't know why, maybe the hybrid."
"It was a bit more fun in the dark, I must admit! It was nice - a bit dirtier than it was last year, but still good."
SS17
"On a left-hander near the end there. Not good. Someone else had been off in the same place."
"I heard before the start that Elfyn and Craig had issues. I think there was a tricky place near the end and I was planning to avoid it anyway because I am not taking any risks. There is like a small hole and if you go in it the impact is too hard for the tyres."
"It was quite close to the end. There is some drain on the line which was fine to go over last year, but now it was not."
"It was okay but I was still struggling with the understeer. Other than that I had a clean stage. We know this one very well so it's tough to make a big difference in these stages."
"It was a clean drive. I tried to make it a bit more exciting for myself."
Puncture
"The car to drive is on another level. It's doing whatever I want all the time. A really demanding stage but the car is amazing and I took a lot of pleasure. It's really, really nice."
"On a left-hander near the end there. Not good. Someone else had been off in the same place."
"Something broke in a right-hander. There was a small bump on the entry and I don't know if it popped the tyre off the bead or something, but I was a passenger."
Puncture
Accident + puncture
"It's easier to drive but I was losing grip at the end of the stage. In the Power Stage I will try to do my best and let's see if I can take any points or not."
"I made a mistake with my pace notes. I said the corner was opening but it was actually tightening. It's okay, we'll change it for the second pass."
"It was okay. It's a very tricky one honestly and I need to be a bit more smooth in the second loop. We took it very carefully. Let's continue so we can finish the rally."
"It happens in some corners but in other ones it's okay. Crazy."
"It's a beautiful stage. I've done it maybe five times in the past and today is the first time I haven't got cramp in my left leg!"
SS16
"It was an easy start for us this morning. I tried to stay very safe with every cut and every rock on the road. We'll try to manage that."
"Let's see. It's not so easy to chase Thierry because I want to finish with good points and bring the car home. I am even quite happy to make this good time here."
"The beginning was okay but towards the end I started understeering. It's getting dirty as well but I had a clean run."
"We had some slides but nothing special. Today is just about coming to the finish - there's nothing we can catch up."
"I was braking too early in some places but I feel quite good with the car it's nice to drive. The time is not bad so let's see what the others can do."
"We're just going to see what we can do and try to continue improving."
"We discovered something with the car last night that was maybe causing us a bit of a delay yesterday. It felt better through there."
"It was okay but it was not so easy."
"I really like to drive in the dark. It's such an amazing thing and I was enjoying a lot. I had a good feeling in the car and I was just enjoying my pace."
"There's a bit of gravel but not so much. I was a bit careful - it's been a long time since I have rallied in the dark and with my position and I don't want to do anything stupid."
"We have a major problem with the power steering so we could not enjoy this stage. It's extremely dangerous because it's not all the time. And we have one more stage to do like that."
"It's pretty cool. Even though we've got the lamp pod, the vision is still not amazing so you've really got to listen to your pace notes."
SS15
"It's been a very enjoyable day for us. We had good fun in the car and the times were following. That's always what you dream for when you come to a rally. Honesty, so far I am happy with my season but of course it would be nice to clinch a win. Now we are in a good position but there is still a long way to go."
"Quite nice driving in the afternoon, but we dropped some stages in the afternoon. I can be quite happy - I am not taking the last risk or pushing, so it's okay. There were some settings on the car which went wrong on the start line (of SS14) which we couldn't get right so we were losing some time with the hybrid system."
"It was a tough day. We had some speed in the morning and a little bit less in the afternoon. We were hoping to stay in the fight but Ogier was more or less able to double his advantage from this morning and there was not much we could do."
"These cars are really fun. SS14 was amazing - I just pushed like hell and it was nice. I had more confidence in the car and I was enjoying the stage. It was a typical Catalunya stage with cuts and fast sections."
"It was quite an okay day. Technical-wise we had no issues, we were just missing a bit of pace and general feeling in the car. In the afternoon I was pushing out of my comfort zone and we had one moment. Other than that it's been challenging."
"It's not come this weekend, that's for sure. We're lacking a bit of confidence overall and the feeling behind the wheel is not fantastic. Obviously at this level everything needs to be working. Now we need to try and see what we can do for the rest of the weekend and work towards the next one. I'm quite a fussy driver when it comes to the car suiting me. The car is clearly very competitive and working well at the hands of my team-mates, so there are no problems - it's clearly just not suiting me at the moment."
"We're struggling with the front of the car. It's not something that's reared its head before, it just seems to be here that we struggle more. I am working the front too hard and towards the end of the loop I just kill the front tyres completely. We're constantly trying to improve it and make it better but it's a slow process."
"I felt pretty good today, even better than yesterday. We've been increasing the pace step-by-step and it's getting better. The only thing was that it was hard to manage the tyre temperatures and they were overheating sometimes. Maybe in a few places I was not committed enough but it's getting better."
"It was really nice driving and the stages are beautiful as usual here. We have been really consistent through the day and that was the only goal. We didn't take so many risks, especially in the dirty places, so I'm happy with my day."
"I think we did some bad and good things today. It's been a busy day but I am really happy with what we have done and it was a great experience for all of us. The feeling in the car was nice and I think we were close to our team-mates, which is always good."
SS14
"I had a huge amount of understeer for all of the stage. I tried to be clean and not make any mistakes. It's been a difficult afternoon because I tried different settings and the performance was decreasing."
"I had a huge amount of understeer for all of the stage. I tried to be clean and not make any mistakes. It's been a difficult afternoon because I tried different settings and the performance was decreasing."
"It's a good lead. It's been a really good day but it's not over. We still have a Mickey Mouse stage in the city and it's not easy there. We need to finish that one, but so far it's been a very good day."
"I don't care about the times - I pushed like hell! I really like the stage so I just drove. It's more clean in here and I promised to my friends that I need to set a fastest time today!"
"We changed some things on geometries and roll bars and bits and pieces. I am working the front so hard that I get chronic understeer and I just can't drive it."
"We're going round in circles to be honest. It's not been a good weekend so far but we'll keep working and see what we can do."
"I enjoyed it quite a lot. A very nice stage and you really feel the speed. At the end I was overheating the tyres but the car was still working pretty well."
"We will see at the end, but I think at the end our tyre choice will be better."
"It's a really nice stage and flowing, so I was really enjoying. I was really overheating the tyres and at the end instead of trying to keep them I decided to just push on them."
"It was really fun. That stage has a bit of everything - it's very interesting."
SS13
Accident
"It feels really good - I really enjoy these stages. As long as we stay out of trouble it should be fine. You never know what can happen, so we need to keep doing the same."
"I can't do much more if I don't want to take any crazy risks. I can be happy that we are able to stay in the fight."
"I think the tyre wear is not a problem. We have five hard tyres so it should be fine. I am changing the set-up between each stage but I can't find anything which gives us more speed. We're going to try again for the next one but I don't think we can do any more at the moment."
"Nothing has changed, I am just having fun for myself. I'm not enjoying it but we definitely feel a bit more on the edge. All okay."
"We are here to fight. This morning was a little bit bad and I was frustrated because I didn't feel good. Luckily the mechanics have made the car more easy for me. They analysed the data in some places where I lost time and it looks a little bit better. I would like to fight for more but at the moment it's better than this morning."
"It wasn't a great run to be honest from our side. Still struggling. We'll keep trying."
"The car was better than on the first run. We made some improvements but there's still work to do, definitely."
"Lunch was quite normal - nobody complaining luckily! We will see tomorrow morning about my breakfast and how many people are watching and complaining about me!"
"The first part is really fast and quite clean, then we go to a quite wide section. It's a really nice feeling but the grip is lower. Then we go to a very grippy section which is quite bumpy with a lot of small stones. At the end it's a wider road and it's really nice and slowing, but all downhill so really hard for the brakes."
"We used the tyres a lot and the last one is really important. That's why I did that."
"Sunshine yes, but now the pollution is there and it's much more difficult. Okay, we had a good stage and I believe we are improving even on the cuts."
SS11
"Wow, it was fun! It was completely clean and dry with a good car - what else do you need?"
Accident
SS10
"Pretty okay. For sure, the guys are a bit faster but I tried to push. I am driving quite clean and I'm still in a comfortable place. We had a scary moment in the last corner - there was a scary block or something in the road and I was sure it was going to break our car, but luckily it was quite soft."
"It's great. I think so far the car is working well and I am enjoying it. We have to carry on like this."
"It was a clean run for us. We are still working a bit on the car and, again, when it gets dirty, I start to lose the feeling in the car and I don't know the limits. I am just trying to drive as good as I can but we still have some work left to do. I feel there is more performance to come if we can find the right settings."
"I didn't do this stage last year and the last part is actually quite trick. For sure I could do quite a bit better."
"There are no problems [with the car] - I am just trying to go fast but the times are not very good. I don't like excuses. I am not fast. I have enough experience on Tarmac to go fast and the car is nice, so I don't know."
"I didn't do this stage last year and the last part is actually quite trick. For sure I could do quite a bit better."
"There are no problems with the car - I am just trying to go fast but the times are not very good. I don't like excuses. I am not fast. I have enough experience on Tarmac to go fast and the car is nice, so I don't know."
"Okay. Good in places but not so good in others. We're making steps but we're still not where we need to be yet."
"That one was a little bit damp in some places. I struggled again with the front again in there and I definitely felt I was overheating the tyres. We're trying our best."
"I had a good breakfast! The car is all the time working well and I am really happy to drive on tarmac. I just need to be a bit more precise with my driving."
"I really like this stage so I was enjoying, but I definitely lost the tyres. It wasn't easy at the end and we had to manage it but it was clean at least."
"Okay. Good in places but not so good in others. We're making steps but we're still not where we need to be yet."
"I really like this stage so I was enjoying, but I definitely lost the tyres. It wasn't easy at the end and we had to manage it but it was clean at least."
"I had a good breakfast! The car is all the time working well and I am really happy to drive on tarmac. I just need to be a bit more precise with my driving."
"That one was a little bit damp in some places. I struggled again with the front again in there and I definitely felt I was overheating the tyres. We're trying our best."
"Clean! Like a racetrack. It was all okay with no problems and I was feeling fine. The last section will get dirtier for the cars behind."
"For sure, it's a very nice stage but the conditions were very tricky in this one. On hard tyres it wasn't so easy. Let's continue."
"It's completely dry. For me of course there are no cuts, so it's a nice road. We didn't drive so well here - I was a little bit too fast at the beginning, but then I lost a bit of my rhythm."
SS9
"I am not yet at the absolute maximum. In the morning you need to get the feeling and manage the risk level a bit. It's not a bad start."
"It's not the best thing if they are faster! I felt it was a good stage for me - I tried to push quite hard and I don't know where I left any more time. Let's see."
"The battle is not over, that's for sure. I feel like I'm pushing but I don't feel comfortable. Last year I felt much more sure about everything and here it's a bit on and off. Difficult to feel the grip and I had a lot of understeer, so we're going to work on that."
"It was an okay run and everything is working. Not so bad. On these kind of roads it's not possible to take 20 seconds back, that's for sure."
"Every year it's the same in this stage. Every year I lose in the middle part. Some parts are a little bit dirty so I took extra care with the tyres."
"We need to improve - that's the bottom line. There's still work to do."
"I'm happy. I've not done this stage before but the car is really, really good today. The boys did a lot of work last night and we changed a lot of things so hopefully we can reap the rewards today."
"It's quite okay. The conditions are not so bad and luckily we didn't get any rain. I am the fifth car on the road but already the cuts are starting to get dirty."
"I was a bit too careful in the middle of the stage where it was quite slippery. For sure, I need to push more in the dirty places."
"It all seemed okay."
"We will see. Gus did the stage last year, so I am at a bit of an advantage for the first loop. But we will try."
"It's nice to have a clean road - completely dry and also no cuts. I think it's a nice start."
SS8
Accident
"The target is to try to continue to be close. Unfortunately we lost a lot of time this morning and then we had a puncture in the previous stage. Now we put crossed tyres on the car and I think it was not the best choice. I will try to enjoy the rally - anything can still happen."
"It's been a good day and I'm really happy. I was a bit scared to be seventh on the road today with the amount of cuts that we had to go through, but we had a really good feeling in the car throughout the day. So far, so good. Obviously 4.8 seconds is not a lot so we will need to keep on pushing hard tomorrow."
"A day of ups and downs. This morning was definitely a struggle but the afternoon was much better. I know I have a lot of work to do with the car - I struggled with the front and on a rally like this you just haemorrhage time."
"The target is to try to continue to be close. Unfortunately we lost a lot of time this morning and then we had a puncture in the previous stage. Now we put crossed tyres on the car and I think it was not the best choice. I will try to enjoy the rally - anything can still happen."
"I felt good at the beginning but at the end there is a lot of cutting. I was not confident to take the cuts because I had a puncture in the previous stage. Hopefully tomorrow's stages will be in better condition."
"I think we were expecting quite different conditions in here. The reality is it was fully dry, but it's like that and the damage was done in the previous one. Not a great day overall but we'll keep at it tomorrow."
"We do not have the speed and, to be honest, I can't really push to the maximum. The car starts to slide and it's difficult to know where to improve. I made some changes in here but we expected more rain."
"We lost the hybrid again. We were quite well scared in the wet weather... it's like this."
SS7
"I was really enjoying but the time is not what I expected. It's okay - I am just driving and enjoying, which is the main thing. I think I was a little bit overheating the tyres at one time but for the rest I felt like I did a good stage. We need to find the key to be faster."
"I felt like it was a good stage, so I'm a bit surprised to be honest. It's like that. We'll keep going."
"I felt like I had a very good stage but we're still missing 17 seconds. I have no idea where that is. It felt better - I can at least be happy with that."
"I think there's something in the cut. Luckily it was only a few kilometres before the end. Obviously we lost time but it could be worse."
"We are pushing and enjoying the conditions with the good grip. It's been a good stage for us."
"A bit better. I'm trying not to overload the front of the car but I'm finding it very difficult to be honest. I'm just happy to be ticking them off and making no mistakes - that's the most important thing today."
Puncture
"Maybe it was the same corner. We didn't have an impact, just on a long tight right-hander. I had no hybrid anyway so it feels like a big disaster for this stage."
"It went down almost immediately with no warning. I don't know. It was four or five k's from the end."
Puncture
"Maybe the car is moving a bit too much. I had a clean run through but I still struggled to push. I am driving fast but I can not go to attack in every corner because I'm not sure that I will keep the grip."
Puncture
"I am probably not as comfortable as him (Rovanperä)! Nothing is new. I can't find a way to make the car work, or even understand what we need to do. It's tricky, but that's all we can do at the moment."
"I am comfortable in the car. This car was much better than the first pass because the tyres and the car were working a lot better in the conditions. I started to struggle with the brakes a little bit towards the end of this stage - that's an issue, but hopefully it should be okay."
SS6
Intercom issues
Spin
SS5
"I think it's just the conditions. I had a clean stage. I am not confident enough in some of the cuts but everything is positive - it's not bad."
"The team did a fantastic job to fix everything. Thanks to them for the great work and hopefully we'll be able to do a good afternoon for them."
"It felt better. I am feeling quite a bit more comfortable."
"It's very dirty and I don't have the feeling. I did my best and I can't really do much better."
"Good stage. The gaps are very small so we have to carry on like this. The feeling is very good in the car and it's even more enjoyable now with higher grip."
"We're heading in a better direction but I struggled a lot with the car through there. There are some changes I'd like to do but we're in the ballpark now anyway."
"It was so much better than this morning. Of course the conditions are quite different but I want to try to continue like this."
"We have to discover our dry set-up now. A bit of a shock in there, but it was all okay."
"I had much more dirt in my notes than there actually was. I couldn't go faster if I was trusting the notes."
"It worked okay, so no worries. It's hard, for sure. I am lacking the full confidence to go at the ultimate speed, but I am trying to do the best with what we have at the moment."
"Maybe I could have gone faster here, but let's see how others do. I felt that I lost time in few places where I could have been faster."
SS4
Issue after SS4
"It was not a bad stage. The times were very close to each other but there was a lot of cutting in there and you need to take the risks."
"I was a bit more confident but we're not even close to the ballpark. It's 10 years since I've done that stage and we gave a little bit away with that, but still, we're not at the races yet."
"Not a super good morning, but at least the car is working well. I am maybe hesitating too much in some sections, but it's changing a lot after a few cars. The next run should be more dirty but also a bit easier, because we will know where it is bad."
Oil leaking
"I've been a bit tentative to be honest. We took a chance in here with a hard tyre and I'm not sure it was the right call. It was quite slippy but I guess there's not a lot in it either."
"We had a clean run through. The tyre strategy hasn't been so easy this morning and it was a bit on the edge in here, but the balance wasn't so bad on the car. I was actually enjoying it."
"It helps if you know where you are going. The last two stages have been better, for sure."
Alternator issue
"The first two stages were good, but the previous one was not a good time and we struggled with understeer on that stage. It was really difficult to make the tyre choice on that one, so let's see what we did and how it works."
SS3
"I am happy with the pace. I really enjoyed this stage because it was really nice and flowing with no dirty cuts."
"I don't know. It happened just after the chicane. I don't understand."
Puncture
"We're trying, but it's certainly not getting better at the moment."
Puncture
"It's not good! It's difficult to choose the tyres for these stages. It was quite humid but the soft tyre was moving. I carried two hard tyres to put on for this stage but it was not dry enough. At least we are not last!"
"Not too bad! It was not an easy morning. We had some tricky conditions out there and starting seventh on the road was a big challenge with a lot of cuts and dirt in the road during the first two stages. This one was maybe not so bad and we were able to enjoy some more consistent conditions, let's say."
"I may as well have stayed at home in there. My notes are so, so slow. I've never done this rally in the dry. I've just made [my pace notes] so slow and we're paying the price."
"My driving is not good. It's a difficult to find the grip because some corners are still damp and others are dry. I am just trying to find my confidence and this is my aim for the afternoon loop."
"It didn't feel perfect, but five seconds is a big gap. I'm not sure what the crack is with Kalle - it seems to be the two Hyundais at the moment. It's mostly damp, but everything is still quite hot and moving."
"Actually, I am still far away from the limit. Conditions are tricky, but I have no power coming out of the corners. I don't know if it's something with the mapping but I am struggling a lot with the driveability. It's something we can improve for the next loop."
"Somehow we managed to get the hybrid working a bit. Not all the time, but most of the time. It's a bit better on Tarmac when there is more power."
"This one was a bit trickier compared to the first two. I felt I didn't have so much grip in the beginning and at the end I was having some understeer. I think in the middle we did okay, but we were definitely losing a bit at the beginning and the end."
SS2
Hybrid issues
Spin
Puncture
SS1
"The car is really good, but with the road conditions it's very difficult. You really have to keep the wheels in the lines and we have to be patient. It's okay."
"It was enjoyable, but the conditions were already not so easy. I was surprised by all the dirt on the road. It's possible to be a bit faster but for the first stage it's okay."
"For sure, our position on the road is not the best. It is what it is. In some cuts it was not that slippery, but it was okay I think."
"I think it's quite an okay time because the road is getting more dirty. It's not incredibly bad, but for sure there are a few corners with mud where we have to be careful."
"I felt like a newborn calf in there - I was all over the place. I had a big impact on the left at the start after a cut and I was sure I had a puncture. I was very, vert cautious and I thought I would lose more time."
"It feels okay but I was too careful. We had some gravel info that there was almost nothing, but it's still better to be on the cautious side."
"I was careful in a few places. It's not a big surprise."
"Not too bad. Quite an okay feeling in the car. We couldn't discover the soft tyre yesterday, so it was a bit of discovering. I think we lost a bit of time in the beginning where the road is getting dirty, but other than that it was all okay."
"The conditions are okay, actually - very consistent. It will be a difficult day. Honestly, I struggled a lot and there is no feeling at the moment.
"Quite okay. Not the easiest conditions - let's see how the others do. I felt quite good but it was not a perfect stage."