ERC – Rally Liepaja pre-tournament press convention

In attendance:

Nikolay Gryazin

Emil Lindholm, Team MRF Tyres

Alexey Lukyanuk, Saintéloc Junior Team

Mads Østberg, PH Sport

Mārtiņš Sesks

Oliver Solberg

Q:

Your first time in Liepāja this weekend Emil, what are your hopes and targets?

EL:

Yeah, first time. The roads remind us a miniature of our roads lend a hand in Finland and it looks high-quality to this point. The arrangement isn’t any doubt to score via the rally and to ogle how our MRF tyre performs, to score trustworthy data, to score data and to assemble it additional. I mediate we bear now a high-quality chance of getting into into the end five nonetheless the next day to come will label.

Q:

You carried out smartly in Rome nonetheless how are the tyres coming along on story of they would possibly be able to must bear more expertise on gravel than they form on Tarmac?

EL:

Right here isn’t any doubt factual and, already, qualifying showed already that the tyre would possibly be very high-quality on gravel. Undoubtedly, the constructing has been broad-snappily and I’m so pleased to ogle this on story of that is high-quality the second rally I’m doing with the gravel tyre and, already, it’s displaying this more or less tempo. The constructing is admittedly dashing along and I’m determined there’s indispensable more to realize.

Q:

You’ve been busy, Rome, one other rally in Italy on gravel, which you nearly won, what used to be that love?

EL:

That used to be a broad rally. I’ve talked about the roads right here are fine nonetheless they had been as smartly in Arezzo. It used to be a shut one and we in actuality had been in for the preserve till the final stage after we had a technical be concerned forced us to retire sooner than the final stage, which used to be a shame nonetheless that’s rally and that’s a original weekend.

Q:

Turning to Oliver Solberg, lend a hand in Liepāja the save aside you won final year. Ott Tänak always tells me you’ve got to no longer lower than match your performance from the earlier year so what’s your arrangement?

OS:

No stress, thank you! It’s impartial correct stress-free to be lend a hand driving on these snappily gravel roads over again, it’s been a long time now so it’s genuinely chilly. First time in the recce I forgot how snappily these roads genuinely are so it’s high-quality stress-free to be lend a hand.

Q:

You had a high-quality bolt on the Qualifying Stage, second fastest nonetheless you gave the influence very a lot surprised by your time?

OS:

I talked about to my co-driver, ‘wow, what a high-quality time from Østberg’, he did a 2m12 or something, wow that used to be a high-quality time nonetheless I didn’t ticket it used to be my time on story of my co-driver [Aaron Johnston] took a determined time. I idea he’d crushed me by a second so I wasn’t so ecstatic nonetheless then I saw it used to be my time!

Q:

How ecstatic had been you along with your podium in Rome?

OS:

Positively, I was very ecstatic. Rome used to be my first time on [pure] Tarmac and I was coming without a expectations at all. But managing to form the times that I did I was very ecstatic and it used to be broad stress-free to form those times on a Tarmac tournament, it used to be genuinely high-quality.

Q:

We saw your closest rival final year, Alexey Lukyanuk, used to be down in ninth after the Qualifying Stage so how competitive will it be between you all?

OS:

It’s positively genuinely shut and I mediate there used to be positively some avenue cleansing between the R2s and the [Qualifying Stage] so I mediate he had a procedure back. But in another case I mediate this would possibly increasingly be very shut and the next day to come would possibly per chance be flat out.

Q:

A expect from Mikołaj Sobol from Rallypl.com, you are excessive up in the standings after Rome so what’s the opinion, is it to continue in the ERC and set a championship campaign collectively?

OS:

We’re going to be able to ogle what happens. We are very high-quality in the championship now and we impartial correct are attempting to quit constant this weekend and form optimistically a podium. If it goes smartly and the opinion goes collectively then optimistically we can form more ERC.

Q:

Turning to Mārtiņš Sesks, the home-metropolis hero. Third in 2019 nonetheless obviously in a determined car and in a determined class. But for this year what are the hopes?

MS:

Effectively this helps to score us ready for Rally Estonia, it’s very high-quality preparation right here to power alongside Ken Torn and the others who are right here from ERC, some very snappily guys so this would possibly increasingly be aa very snappily weekend with some fine battles.

Q:

We ogle all people approach in Liepāja for the rally nonetheless how ordinary is it or how chilly is it to genuinely be having the rally on your fatherland, staying on your own bed and going to the locations you form on your everyday existence?

MS:

Effectively it’s miles a miniature ordinary, it’s more or less a miniature bit more durable to tackle for the bolt on story of assuredly you approach three or four days sooner than the recce and potentialities are you’ll well presumably additionally bear a flight and a resort sooner than and you score rather smartly ready. Now I’m at home it’s discover it irresistible’s Rally Liepāja nonetheless I silent bear issues to form right here so it’s rather a busy week.

Q:

What has been going on on your world right via lockdown?

MS:

Effectively we had some high-quality test kilometres since Sweden and we also won two nationwide rallies in Lithuania so more or less put collectively for this one as a broad tournament and this would possibly increasingly be our final preparation sooner than Estonia.

Q:

Turning to Alexey Lukyanuk, championship leader after one of many high-quality drives of your occupation in Rome. How are you feeling coming into Liepāja?

AL:

After the qualifying no longer genuinely staunch to be accurate. It used to be no longer the initiating we had been hoping for. If truth be told, ending the qualifying I idea we had been rather k, I mediate at my most nonetheless it looks love miniature issues delayed us on the means, love being first on the avenue after the 2-wheel-power cars. It looks genuinely ordinary and stressful nonetheless I mediate it’s the worst qualifying of my occupation.

Q:

It used to be on this tournament in 2013 that you just first got right here to prominence nonetheless you’ve below no instances won right here so what form you mediate is more or less lacking?

AL:

I’ve below no instances estimated it in that means in actuality. That you can no longer preserve every rally and I was below no instances specializing in doing something extra right here, I’m impartial correct attempting to bring my most. A form of issues in the means your entire time and I don’t care about no longer winning to be accurate.

Q:

You went on a walking holiday after winning in Rome to determined your mind for this rally, what used to be that love and is it factual you had a no longer easy commute getting right here?

AL:

Advantageous, it’s factual and I the truth is had some doubts we would possibly per chance per chance additionally create our means to the rally. At some level I idea if we score to the rally then already it’s a miniature preserve and it used to be a broad reduction after we in a roundabout blueprint made it to this predicament. It used to be no longer genuinely easy to alter from mountain climbing in the mountains to managing all issues for the rally nonetheless we are right here and that’s the high-quality thing.

Q:

You’ve potentially below no instances began that top up on the avenue sooner than unintentionally. How stressful is it going to be with a form of very competitive drivers round you?

AL:

I mediate this would possibly increasingly be no longer easy and stressful. The premise is to bear most stress-free on story of in our be concerned we can no longer genuinely form indispensable starting seventh on the avenue. On the gravel love that it issues loads. I will are attempting to bear some stress-free.

Q:

Turning to Mads Østberg, we’ve considered you in the ERC sooner than nonetheless what’s the level of interest for you being right here?

MØ:

Effectively the level of interest is clearly to tackle for Rally Estonia. Obviously, all the pieces used to be made up our minds a miniature dull and we high-quality knew for per week sooner than we got right here right here that we had been doing the tournament. It’s portion of our preparation for Estonia nonetheless needless to advise it’s fine to be lend a hand in Latvia. I even bear in actuality been right here eight years ago to compete in the nationwide championship so it’s fine to be lend a hand.

Q:

The stages then had been in the Talsi save aside of abode and they’re very completely different to the stages round Liepāja. Can you give us an insight into what we can ogle this weekend?

MØ:

Obviously, your entire stages bear a broad variation of tempo and that’s what very a lot surprised me presumably the most on story of I was ready for these snappily and wide roads in each save aside the living. But it the truth is looks there are a form of narrow, twisty and flowing roads as smartly, which I’m ecstatic to ogle on story of I mediate we can bear more of that in Estonia so it makes the preparation even better for us. For determined it’s no longer easy to alter the tempo so over again and over again. You form a junction, you are out on the wide and snappily avenue for presumably six kilometres, impartial correct flat out your entire time, you form a junction and then you are on a narrow avenue so this would possibly increasingly be a broad variation of tempo.

Q:

Build you feel you attain right here as a fave along with your entire world championship expertise – is there a miniature arrangement on your lend a hand?

MØ:

It can most likely well presumably additionally very smartly be needless to advise nonetheless we identify to be practical as smartly. There are a form of drivers right here with expertise of the tournament and also with the championship. I haven’t genuinely driven a car in six months. I’ve had in the future of checking out and most of the cars right here had been driving or checking out for 3 or four weeks now. I’m a miniature down for the time being nonetheless I’m bettering grade by grade and it’s essentially why I’m right here, I are attempting to assemble my tempo and my self belief nonetheless needless to advise when I initiating an tournament I focal level on the times as smartly.

Q:

Turning to Nikolay Gryazin, fastest on the Qualifying Stage, a two-time winner right here, what more or less emotions does this rally lift to you?

NG:

It’s fine to be lend a hand and also in the ERC, it’s fine to realize lend a hand. Liepāja for me used to be always a no longer easy be concerned on story of in 2017 I was genuinely sick. After the qualification and it used to be genuinely sophisticated to power against [Kalle] Rovanperä, nonetheless we did it and in 2018 it used to be more mental problems on story of we had been competing for the ERC1 Junior Championship and it used to be also sophisticated. Now I don’t bear any standings in ERC to be concerned about so I will impartial correct appreciate my rally and appreciate myself. About the qualification it used to be k. I silent feel love I’m no longer in the high-quality form with this original car nonetheless I’m getting better and better and I hope this rally would possibly per chance be high-quality preparation for Rally Estonia. Okay, Estonia is more slower with more jumps, right here potentialities are you’ll well per chance elevate your bravery in the immediate sections. In the narrow sections I don’t think Estonia too indispensable nonetheless it’s rather a tough one, it’s genuinely snappily. Also, the simulator time at my home has helped me to develop all this expertise with driving model and stuff. On the test I did 50 kilometres nonetheless I did a rally in Lithuania nonetheless the games are helping me loads.

Q:

You would possibly per chance presumably even bear a determined co-driver for this tournament in Konstantin Aleksandrov. How is that partnership coming along?

NG:

It’s very high-quality. He lives shut to me in Riga so had been chilling collectively and we bear now the possibility to power collectively on the simulators. We are making the pacenotes, playing loads to create our pacenotes. As I talked about sooner than it’s no longer too ordinary to hear his notify in the intercom on story of we bear now spent a form of time collectively.

Q:

Latvia is love a second home to you, you now are living needless to advise, nonetheless you drove for SRT, the broad team from Latvia, so does it give you a miniature of earnings the truth potentialities are you’ll well per chance also bear got been essentially essentially based right here for goodbye?

NG:

I will command a miniature earnings on story of I began my occupation in Latvia and I will command I ticket the floor. I will’t command I be aware your entire stages on story of this rally for determined is in the reverse direction. But to bear the facts of the floor is the high-quality thing for this rally.