26. Kennards Hire Rally Australia 2017
17. 11. – 19. 11. 2017, Coffs Harbour • gravel 318.73 km - (cancelled 30.80 km) • total distance including road sections - 947.55 km • Other years
Info
SS21
"This win is a special one - it goes to the whole team, they have worked so hard. It wasn't always easy but we kept the motivation high. We round off the year with a win and second in the championship. Thanks to everyone in the team both here and at the factory - great job guys."
"We don't deserve it, we just did the job we could. Okay, it's a bittersweet feeling. Last year we lost a podium here, this time it seems to be the reverse."
He's off! Heli footage appears to the show the car clipping something on the inside of a long left-hand corner. The car then slews to the other side and into the trees. Stage is stopped. Neuville is on the start line.
"I've been in this family for a long, long time. I've learned a lot of hard lessons, and this year with Seb was a great experience. I'm sure I will be strong in the future so thank you Malcolm and thank you M-Sport."
"A difficult year, I'm glad it's over. I think this weekend gives us some light at the end of the tunnel." And next year? "I know I won't be in Monte Carlo, so I'm looking forward to a long break at home in New Zealand."
"For now I can only say that was my last stage for 2017. It was a tough weekend for sure, a few issues and the start position too, but it's been a fantastic season for us. Now we look forward to the prize giving and collecting the trophy."
"It's been an incredible season, I've had a really good year in terms of working with some great people. DMACK have done an incredible job, it's been interesting and I've really enjoyed it."
"I really tried to push. I'm a bit disappointed because I screwed up the water-splash, otherwise it was a good stage. The set-up was too soft but I didn't care - I just gave it a go."
"I made one mistake in here and lost a second or so. This event sort of sums up my season. If we put in the work and do what we're talking about, we'll be alright next year."
"I think we can expect good things next year. It's good to sit here and know I'm in the right car for next year. The team is great, the car is fantastic. I'm ready for 2018."
"Fantastic, so nice and so happy for my co-driver Fred [who collects this year's co-drivers' trophy]. A perfect rally." And plans for next year? "No, this is it."
"I've got no words at the moment. I've waited too long. Thanks to everyone, I'm so stoked."
"A really nice weekend for me, when it was dry it was really nice to drive. Today it was a bit harder but all good learning for me."
SS19
"Only two stages to go but it's more tricky than picking up a bar of soap in the shower," he says. "It's out of control. I'm going to keep my head down and hopefully get through."
"I was thinking Wales was slippery, but this is something else. We went off and into some trees, but I think we got away with it."
"I'm not really fighting for much today, and when it's like that you drive accordingly. I think we've been very unlucky with the weather - it's like a cloud has been following us all day. Hopefully later we can have some good fun on the Power Stage."
"Tricky. Just treating it like a high-speed recce for experience because we're not in the overall mix."
"That was a hell of a ride. Really, really tricky conditions but I kept it on the road. It was close sometimes and I had to be clever." How confident are you of winning? "The gap now is about one second per kilometre for the two stages to come, so it should be alright."
"I think we had a good stage in very tricky conditions. I'm happy with the time compared to Ott, now it will be interesting to see Thierry's. I think it's drying out a bit, but not enough to make a difference between us."
"It was slippy like hell. So, so tricky. Can I catch Latvala? In conditions like this I can't plan anything."
"We took it safely. Now we have a big gap ahead and when conditions are like this I'm not prepared to take risks. It reminds me of Portugal 2012 - tricky conditions and grip that is very tricky to read. This hasn't been the best weekend but fourth place would be a good way to round off the year."
"Changing conditions and still a lot of trouble for us in the car with the gear shift. I'm looking forward to the end of the season now." And the early check-in? "We had this [gearbox] problem which disturbed us a little and in a panic we had an early check in."
"I think it was more shock than laughter. I was being careful because the car was aquaplaning a lot and we had very worn front tyres."
"It's crazy. So much standing water. The car is like a boat, you can't control it - it just goes where it wants. I managed to go off once only - a big impact to the right-rear. I've never seen conditions like this."
SS18
"It was going rally well before the punctures but nothing we can do about it. Today is going to be be a learning day for me."
"Very, very changeable conditions. Very up and down with the rain. Just playing it safe and saving some tyres for later. Very easy to make a mistake in there."
"Horrendous. Absolutely horrendous. It's hellish in there. Like being on ice, so close to the trees."
"It's still okay. I couldn't do more in the rain. I tried to do my best. I will manage."
"The rain came and it was very, very slippery at the start. I didn't want to take any big risks. That is just the way it is. Also we are a little down on engine power. We need to go and have a look."
"For sure its very tricky with the rain. The last part was all dry. It's not too extreme at the moment."
"In the middle there was quite a bit of rain, it's coming and going. This weekend we've found some things that have affected my confidence all year. All a bit late, unfortunately."
"A lot of issues for us. The gear shifting again. The same problem all weekend for us." And the weather? "Mainly dry for us."
"Gear selection problem."
WRC TV crew reports a stop for Breen in the early section. He has rolled.
SS17
"Massive rain in the middle of the stage. I couldn't even see the road though the wipers. For us it was a monsoon."
"We have a comfortable gap so we need to be clever and manage it well. Maybe we were too careful here but in the end we only lose one second."
"The first part was okay but towards the end it was slippery and not easy to drive. I took it steady there because I wanted a clean run."
"It's getting slippery for sure. This stage didn't feel so good. Let's see what the next one is like."
"The rain is starting to come down really heavily in the stage now. The next stage should be a bit more consistent for everybody."
"I'm trying some new things today, and getting used to the car now it feels a bit different." What have you changed? "Just some things."
"I touched one tree."
"All okay, no problems. The water-splash was particularly deep, the visibility goes pretty quickly, but no drama."
"Conditions are not so bad. The grip is good apart from the last 2 or 3km where it is very slippery. The water-splashes are really deep - the car almost stopped when we hit them."
SS13
Unable to stablise his broken suspension, Meeke has retired before the start of Stage 13.
“I try. This was a bit more slippery and I struggled a bit with oversteer. Not so much fun, but the time is good. We must carry on like this."
“It's a tough fight with Thierry. He is very strong. I'm trying but somehow he seeks to find something extra. Can I win? There are many stages to go and you never give up until the final metre of the final stage."
“I wasn't as committed in that one. Also I had a butterfly in front of me for much of the stage - all part of the jungle experience."
“Unfortunately we had a puncture in the previous one so we had to use a very worn soft tyre here that I was keeping for the Super Special. It was difficult, not so good."
“Hard to say. Sometimes hard, sometimes soft. The Australian weather has thrown us a curve ball this year."
“It is under-steering more. Now it's just about driving through and trying to finish this day.”
“We destroyed our tyres a bit in the first one and I have a lot of understeer here. For the moment not so bad."
“Tricky. If I didn't have understeer I had oversteer. Difficult mixed conditions. More loose that I expected."
“Horrible. Not cleaning at all. I couldn't find any grip."
SS12
He broken a right-rear suspension arm on SS12 and doesn't have a spare on board. He will try to nurse his car through the next two stages.
Double puncture
“Near the start we went over a narrow bridge and I just touched the rear - something is broken."
“I got into the stage, the tyres felt good so I decided to give it a go. I kept going and when it started to get dry I really pushed hard."
“I tried what I could and towards the end it was very slippery. I took it a bit careful there but overall a good stage. The next two stages will be very important [in the battle with Neuville].”
"Not so bad. The end of the stage - the last 2km - was a little messy but overall not so bad."
“All okay."
“The weather is playing a big part here. The final downhill section that was 100 per cent dry is now very muddy - it's getting worse."
His car is missing its front bumper and splitter. He jumps out to take a look. "That will make it tricky," he acknowledges. "It happened less than 1km before the finish. It was very slippery, I went wide, spun into a bank and lost the bumper."
"A bit better that earlier but I spun one more time and I think I lost 15 seconds. I braked too late, spun and stalled the engine."
“Damp at the start with okay grip for about the first 7km. Then it's full dry and then the last 3km was pretty difficult."
“The last part - the last 3.5km - oh my God! It was so slippery and it changed so quickly. I had some margin but if you come too fast you have no chance!"
SS11
"In the right conditions we have the speed but I don't think we have the pace to win the rally outright. But as we saw in the last stage anything can happen."
"I'm really disappointed for Andreas, it was nice fight but it looks like he punctured at the same tricky place where we went off. We are a bit in trouble ourselves, with no first gear any more. I have to be careful in the hairpins here, but I was able to manage. We'll get a new gearbox in service."
"My tyres are quite worn and maybe I was too aggressive here. It been a good morning I must say and now a surprising situation. Now its a tough fight and Thierry is fighting really, really hard."
"It's been an okay morning, but you can't beat experience here."
"We are still a bit far from the top. Definitely we need some more performance to fight for the podium."
"I think it's time to forget about the result and the stage times here and try and get a good feeling for the car. If I look at the timing board I get disappointed. I've got to just try and enjoy it."
"I'm not really part of any fight this weekend so what happens at the front doesn't really concern me. I'll just try and make some good times in the second loop."
"This stage was okay but I hope to find more confidence in the afternoon."
SS10
"It happened 2km after the start on a right-hander over a crest. In third or fourth gear I went wide and touched the bank quite hard. I thought I had just a rear puncture but soon after I felt the front too. I have one spare so it doesn't look like we'll be going any further."
"I missed a junction - really deceptive in the trees. I lost 10 or 15 seconds."
"I went straight on at a junction. I was following lines in the road, I braked too late and had to reverse. I have broken something on the gearbox too. We have to check but it will be okay."
"We have always lost time on this one, but this time it was good. The secret is not to be afraid of the trees - you have to use all the road you have."
"I really enjoyed it. The last 10km were familiar, a much better flow than Nambucca and fully dry."
"Compared to the previous stage, the surface is a bit more slippery because it's dry, but it was more consistent and the the car worked well."
"It's like a jungle in here, you have to take a few cuts here and there. Not one of my favourite stages, but I enjoyed it more than I have in the past. My tyre strategy is not the best so we're making the best of what we have."
"We missed a junction. Maybe I missed a bit of concentration. There's no chance to get a good result this weekend - there's not much we can do."
"Drier and easier for us than the first one but I was too sideways, I need to be cleaner on the repeat pass."
"For us it was horrendously bad. We had no grip at all. We had to think so far ahead with the notes."
"Some parts have quite good grip already, but it is still cleaning. Quite soft. I tried to push, but I took some strange lines - my experience last year didn't help me much."
SS9
"A big physical challenge. I had a bit of a slow down in the middle but got my rhythm back before the end. The grip is fantastic."
"This was a very different stage and I really enjoyed it. Fun when it's technical and so long - it tests the concentration."
"I was flat out, but we are on two different tyre strategies so we will see over the weekend. Mine was not optimum in here. I'm saving my soft tyres for later."
"I tried, and it felt good. I have no idea why, but the other guys are just faster - and that's it."
"We tried to do a good stage but I was a bit disturbed by my sweating - I was sweating like hell and it affected my concentration."
"Feeling great. The grip was good but it's my first time here so I couldn't show my full potential."
"The beginning was wet and felt quite good, after that it dried out and I struggled with the balance."
"I've never driven a stage so bad in my life, with the rain, full wet and mud and then dry. On these tyres it was tricky. We had to look after the soft tyres - we don't have many."
"Full wet would have been nicer for us. Let's see what the next stage looks like. I think it will be difficult to get back in the fight but we will not give up."
"A difficult one. After we spun it took some time to to restart. Then a strange feeling with the car."
"A really enjoyable stage but the grip level is extremely low for us."
"It was wet near the start so the grip was good but then it dried up and we started to struggle. We knew it would be like this. The rain was a bonus."
SS8
"We expected to have some difficulties today but the car's small technical issue made it even harder. Tomorrow we be the same story - we just start again. What can I do? Nothing - just drive."
"I'm satisfied. I think we have done the maximum we could today. We gave it a go and I'm still aiming for victory. It's a pity the start order was settled two stage ago - it will be difficult against Andreas but we will try."
"Not bad, but it should have been better. Tomorrow we need the whole package - at least my road position will be better than today."
"Today has been generally okay. I'm quite pleased with the afternoon but I wasn't consistent enough in the morning. Now we focus on day two. We won't have a bad road position."
"Today has not been great in terms of overall performance. This afternoon was better - with a better feeling for the stages. Second on the road tomorrow will mean a struggle in the first passes I think."
"I really enjoyed it, a very good day. Just one mistake today, and in a way I was lucky it happened when it did. Okay, those 12 seconds would have put me closer to Andreas, but there's a long way to go. I'm enjoying the car, so we'll see how we do tomorrow - a 50km stage at 7am will be interesting."
"I made a silly mistake on the first pass but that was much better. We've had a couple of things go against us this afternoon but otherwise for our first day down under no so bad."
"A pretty straightforward stage here - a bit of fun. The day hasn't been what we wanted but tonight we'll go back to the drawing board and look to improve tomorrow. We'll look through the data and try and find something."
"A really nice day, trying to take advantage of my road position. We have driven clean stages, with no mistakes, and we have a good lead to take into tomorrow. We will try and increase our lead in the morning but I'm sure Kris and Thierry will put up a big fight."
"We lost the race at the same time as the power steering. The afternoon was positive - let's say it like this - but it's not so good to be cleaning the road tomorrow."
SS6
"In the last five kilometers I lost the rhythm a bit. I made a small mistake and lost my concentration. I lost a few seconds there. Considering the punctures this was not the day I was expecting."
“It's difficult to judge the corner grip here, it feels like a first pass,"
“Really amazing. I'm really enjoying my third rally with Hyundai - the car feels like home now. Things are looking very good."
“The soft tyre was not the right choice. It felt like I had a puncture here."
“I had a fairly huge jump near the end," he explains. "I had a bad feeling near the start, a bad vibration, I hit a bale."
"Fine. Just trying to figure it out. Neuville on hard tyres has made two seconds over the loop. Seems like the tyres choices were a mixed bag."
“Pretty good. It felt like a good run."
“I wanted to to be faster than that but I did all I could on these hard tyres. It was not so clean as I thought, especially in the cuts where there was dirt on the road. I was a bit too careful where it was dirty."
"Same as this morning with the missing aero. No other issues."
“I struggled a bit on the soft tyres here - especially at the rear. I couldn't really push and lost a bit of time here."
"It's been a tough day for us. We tried to do our best but for sure it's not so easy to drive with the gear shift problem. We didn't manage to fix it this time - the paddles worked intermittently here."
SS5
"I changed the rear set up and it feels good - nice to drive. The pace notes are quite good with the new set-up. We have some problem with a sensor, which is costing us some power, but it's okay."
"Same story as before - I have one more puncture in the first stage. With one spare I have to be careful. Not good."
"I was giving my all but I couldn't judge the grip level on the first pass. It seems I am too slow.”
"It was good clean stage with no problems, just trying to keep a good rhythm."
"Trying to attack a bit more. It went a bit better here but still room for improvement. I don't expect tyre wear will be a problem on the next stage."
"Not really satisfied, I had to leave the soft tyre on for this stage."
"A good stage, I couldn't do any more. Quite happy with my tyres. Hopefully it's a good package for the next stage. Let's see."
"A bit better on the repeat pass, for sure I have a bit more confidence."
"Okay. We took a hard tyre, and on the loose gravel its okay, but on the polished surfaces I'm struggling."
"It was quite a slippery road, not so easy, and no aero again, so quite challenging." How does the lack of aero make the car behave? "We are driving looking through the side windows."
"Maybe sliding a little too much but I tried to push. Did Sebastien have a problem? If not, it would be too big a gap."
"The gear shift issue makes it harder but we do our best. I think it's an electronic issue."
SS4
"A good stage. I took the compression quite hard but otherwise good. Still quite slippery though."
"Still not quite on it as much as everyone else. Two or three little mistakes here and they all add up."
I think it happened near the start. I have four hard tyres and one soft - that tyre was coming off anyway. I'm really happy with my choice for the whole loop."
"Okay, just one bad dip near the start. Everyone is on a bit of a mixture of tyres. I'm happy with mine."
water." I think we blew a seal in the water splash."
"We hit a stick in a bank 3km from the start," he explains. And road conditions now? "It isn't too messy. I took it maybe too careful in the beginning after that I got better."
"All good. It's working. Quite slippery but better than this morning."
"Again a shifting issue. Inconsistent,"
SS3
"Really nice - my best stage ever in conditions like this. I'm starting to trust my new pace notes so it's much nicer to drive."
"I'm happy with this one. A lot of road cleaning and it's better for us."
"It's tough, but there's really no point to drive faster. I'm already on the edge of keeping the car on the road."
"It's been a good morning and the car is acting just as I want it too. I was lifting the throttle way to much in here, so we'll change that for the second run. We're really enjoying our time in the car and these beautiful stages."
"A nice stage, and maybe it's just the conditions, but it feels like we have no engine power. Because of that our pace notes are too slow and we're having to make adjustments. We'll take a look in service."
"That was awesome. When it all comes together it's just absolutely perfect. I love what I do."
"In knew were were too quick for a corner. We ran wide off the road and into bushes - I had to stop, reverse, turn and go."
"The first half was exceptionally difficult - so little grip when it's loose. But when we went off down hill it didn't seem so bad."
"I'm happy with the car now after the intercom issue. I thought we had a good run here but when I look at the other times I'm not so sure. I wanted to be closer to Ott."
"Maybe I was not smart enough on the previous stage when I tried to rebalance the set-up after losing the diffuser. This time I made settings the other way, to give a lot more grip to the rear, and it was much more driveable."
"I tried to give my best in here, it's a very fast stage with a lot of cleaning. Okay, I took something from Ogler but I guess we'll lose more to the guys behind."
"The gear shift was working properly this time, it an electric problem and we could fix it. This stage was like driving on a beach though - no grip."
SS2
"I can't find where the oil is coming from. I will go on without power steering, and we will lose a lot of time, but we might be able to get it fixed in service."
"A little bit loose in the last part otherwise we have chosen the right set up for traction. A good start. Our objective here is to have fun and to get my co-driver Fred the WRC Trophy co-drivers' title."
"It's okay but I have a new pace note system and I have to think about them more. I need to learn more about them in the technical sections. The rally is fun and going really well."
"I have no spare wheel now. I can go faster but I must finish the loop."
"I lost the power steering suddenly - I have no idea why." And the spin? "On a hairpin right there was a step up and I just couldn't keep the wheel in my hand, the steering is so stiff, and I needed to reverse. I will try my best on the next stage but it's going to be tough."
"I enjoy these stage. A good start to the morning. We must continue like this. The dust is bad in places but we try not to think about it."
"The grip is difficult, a lot lower than we were expecting and it's not cleaning. I'm struggling with the balance of the car - but it could be worse."
"You need big confidence here, big Kahunas! You have to push as hard as you can. We need to keep pushing to get a good position for tomorrow."
"It happened on a slow corner, we touched a bank. There is really bad dust in here - it's on the limit I'd say. We need to think about increasing the time gap."
"Patches of really bad dust in here. The grip was pretty bad, it's always the same here.
"The intercom is good now, the cable to my helmet was broken but we fitted a spare. Without the front diffuser the front turn-in wasn't so good. I didn't expect this stage to be so tough!"
"We need to take a look at the settings."
Reports a gear selection issue. He has switched to the manual system.
"I was able to push more I but I am moving around too much - tricky grip and I am hesitating too much."
SS1
"A clean drive, no mistakes. I'm happy with that. I could have pushed more but for a first stage that was a clean run."
"It felt quite strange near the start, like I had a rear puncture, but it didn't get any worse so maybe the rear is just moving around. We'll have a look before the next one."
"Okay, but it took me too long to get started in here. The stage time is in the ball park, we'll keep the push on."
"I'm quite surprised by Seb's time from first on the road. I expected the road to clean. I'm happy with my run."
"Not so bad, but the grip seemed very, very low."
"I think it happened at the first corner - under heavy braking we hit one of the rubber things that protect the road. Otherwise I didn't drive well, I have a problem with the intercom - a broken cable I think. I didn't hear all the notes, very distracting."
"They are doing a good job I guess - nothing else. Not such a good feeling with the car here."
"It was okay, I was not pushing very hard. The grip was higher than I expected on these soft tyres, there was some dust hanging around, I didn't go really really fast. I think the early split is a mistake - I kept the same rhythm throughout."
"It's rough in places, a bad watersplash and compression but we didn't touch anything. As I expected it was slippery, we have to try and push our best."