66. Neste Rally Finland 2016
28. 7. – 31. 7. 2016, Jyväskylä • gravel 333.60 km • total distance including road sections - 1370.66 km • Other years
Info
SS24
"A little bit crazy to be honest. This is the home of rally and Ouninpohja is the holy grail of stages. To win it how we did - incredible. I've been enjoying it like a little kid - playing and having fun. We always knew the DS 3 was good here. It's been a team effort in the car too - Paul's done an incredible job. What a result. I might had a beer tonight."
"I can't believe it. It's the best day of my life. It's been such a road to get here. I'm missing my main man [his late co-driver Gareth Roberts] and I know he's looking down on me."
"I'm a bit disappointed overall. I was hoping I could win. I was trying here but I couldn't find the best driving. That's the way it is sometimes."
"I tried my best. A very tight fight with Paddon. We've both been struggling with settings and grip. Our performance was right there - we did our best."
"So many mistakes. I was trying hard but we ran wide in places. A challenging weekend and the result is not so bad. I've enjoyed the battle with Thierry."
"I've been fighting really hard all weekend. Many great stages. I really enjoyed the fighting. A shame we couldn't do more and had to settle for sixth."
"A good weekend but I can't be satisfied to finish seventh. I'm happy with this drive on the Power Stage. Let's see."
"Happy to be here. We didn't make any mistakes and a big thanks for the team. It was a great chance for me to drive here, but at such short notice in some ways it was the worst gift! I will be quicker next time."
"I don't think it's enough. I had a good run but the road was still too slippery. I'm looking forward to Germany now. After six months without a win we'll try to start in a good way."
"I feel very good. A perfect weekend. A shame for Pontus."
"A nice feeling when we passed his car - I hope they are okay. Second is good points for my championship."
SS23
"It's like slow motion compared to yesterday. Steady away. I'm happy to see Craig punch in his first stage win. Hopefully he can hold it together for the last stage. It would be great to see two Citroens on the podium here."
"I'm not giving up that easy. I've worked all my life to get here. Let's finish the job."
"It's enough I think for the last stage. Again, the rear end wasn't following properly. Can I catch Breem? We will try."
"We hit a rock on the front left and I think we took some air out of the tyre."
"There are many drivers who want the points here. It's all about the next stage."
"Not good at all. Feels like I have a problem with the rear. The car's undrivable. We almost crashed"
"It was really loose - I stiffened the car because expected the grip would be better."
"I decided not to push. Just cruising and thinking about by boys Kris and Craig."
"No tyre wear at all. I wish the Power Stage was here - the grip was good."
SS22
He went off after a crest on a right-hand bend. Car in a ditch.
"They have a fight together - not against me. I don't care what they are doing. My time is not good but it doesn't need to be ."
"Very clam and relaxed in the car. Tanak had a big, big one. I hope Craig can hold on. It would be incredible."
"A clean stage but there were warnings a long way before Tanak's car so we backed off."
"He went off early in the stage. Seeing him threw me a bit. It's crazy. Maybe I backed off a bit too much after that. Now we have to keep calm. We can do it."
"My driving is a bit untidy. When we push we end up sliding around a lot."
"We have a great fight with Hayden Paddon and we pushed really hard in this one. My pace notes are sometimes too slow."
"Today has been working pretty well. I was careful in places here. We have improved the notes on this pass."
"The feeling was not good. Just in cruise mode. Not happy. I have other things in my head."
"Very difficult for us, many little mistakes."
"Very slippery, very loose. I was not so fast. We care only about the Power Stage. With the road cleaning our chance to score points will be small but we'll try our best."
"Nice stage but a difficult place to open the road."
SS21
"Happy. No big risks but for sure we try. Maybe we tried too hard, the car was sliding a lot."
"Not good. No conviction. Too early on the brakes."
"No dramas. Everything is okay. Really on the safe side. I can do it, no problem."
"Completely calm. Here we just take some pleasure from the stages."
"We had a ok run, surprisingly slippery!."
"You have to remember how much experience these guys have.."
"Trying hard. Big jumps, for sure a big push! Trying my best. Difficult with the short stages."
"I was struggling too much with the rear, couldn't do more than this."
"It's quite slippery in there but we're trying to enjoy as much as we can and push."
"New stages today, it's a big challenge. A few mistakes, but felt the rythm was OK."
"I decided to trust myself and the notes. The slippery road worked to my pace notes well. Tricky but enjoyable."
"Saving tyres for the powerstage. Not enough kilometers to fight."
"Slippy. A couple of corners where we went wide."
"Difficult for us to follow Ogier's lines but a perfect run and the car is good."
"Okay. A little bit tricky with the jump in here. I'm just waiting for the Power Stage."
"Difficult, some damp sections in the shade are very slippery."
SS15
"First stage without yellow flags. We have to learn but it's hard to get in the rhythm."
"I can be nothing but happy with that."
"The rhythm is really nice, the car's working super well. The only thing I can do is drive it to the best of my ability. I'm really happy with my morning."
"I've been bleeding the bakes before the start."
Finishes stage with rear left puncture. "We picked up a puncture on the road section."
"OK stage, but I'm missing lateral grip. In many corners I'm sliding but not going fast."
"I'm a but surprised we lose so much time."
"It's a bit slippery in some places. This stage was not so bad. I don't think too much about the cleaning."
SS14
"Brake problem. We couldn’t really fix it. It's definitely not my weekend"
"Fairly good run, one of two places where I backed off too much. I drive what I can, I don't take big risks. I don't think I can manage his speed."
"A tricky stage, we went off after 7-800 metres. Lost the rhythm after that."
"It was OK, I tried to push a bit but struggled in some sections. Lots of cleaning."
"It's better now but missing stability, lots of sliding in fast sections. I'm on the maximum now."
"Tires are perfect, car is still so and so."
"Very slippery this morning."
"We didn't have to do anything crazy in here, it was more slippery than Ouhninpohja."
"Eric's had a big accident at the start of the stage, they're both out of the car."
SS13
"We a got a yellow flag due to Bertelli's off and we stopped."
Stage stopped because of Bertelli's accident.
"Quite steady run, first part was better than the second. Too cautious in some places."
"I got my lines right, we did a lot of work on the video this morning and the Citroën's doing well."
"First time in Ouhninpohja, not so bad I think."
"No feeling, I struggled and wasn't able to push. The car was moving and I didn't know how to drive it."
"It's a fantastic stage. In a couple of places I followed the line but there was a massive rock."
"It's really great, always a bit scary start of the day but a fantastic stage. The time is good."
"Happy but we have problems with the car, losing the brakes. It was not so bad to drive but it could be more comfortable."
"The car's certainly better. We changed the balance to give the rear more grip."
"We had a good stage but did a lot of cleaning."
"I took it really easy."
SS11
"Quite tough to take. We have a good base but too many problems. I will try to fix them in the future. A suspension problem and then a puncture. At this level everything needs to be perfect."
"In the afternoon it has gone really well but a bit too fast in here. It was enough to beat Mikkelsen but not Latvala."
"Things have changed since Seb had his problem. I have to consider this and the manufacturers' championship. I'm not sure how hard I can chase now - I haven't spoken yet to [team boss] Jost."
"It's been a disappointing day, but if you take the top two out of the equation we're not too far off. Not every day can be great. It just hasn't happened for us today."
"I went wide and spent 20 metres in a ditch before we got back on the road."
"It was always going to happen one day, when you have to take maximum risks all the time. I made a mistake, a stupid one, and unfortunately the spectators couldn't pull us out. Unfortunately they weren't the spectators with 'Sisu'."
SS10
"Incredibly rough and I don't know how fast I should go to keep the car alive. We should be really, really pleased with what we have done today. We have learned a lot and are looking forward to tomorrow."
"I got stuck in a hairpin - quite a stupid mistake. There were not many spectators - so they didn't manage to get us out [very quickly]. That's why we lost so much time".
front-right puncture
"Not so bad, but I lost some time driving around Seb."
"A very good stage for me but I slowed down too much passing Sebastien. There were a lot of spectators telling me to slow down. I'm sure that was the same for Jari-Matti."
"My windscreen washer was going all the way through. Very distracting. I will rip it off before the next stage."
"A bit of an attack here and I made a few mistakes. I saw Seb. It looks like he's cut a junction too much and gone into the ditch. There are four or five people there trying to help but they'll need more to get the car out."
"That's not a sight you see very often. It's at one of the few places without many spectators around. There are a few there trying to get the car out."
"I saw him, his car is stuck in a ditch on the inside of a hairpin. The car has spun around. For me, some mistakes and I had to slow down for the marshals but okay."
stopped at the 11.2km, car is in the ditch
SS9
"Now we are driving like we should be. We have made some set-up changes and the car feels really good."
"There's not much more I can do to catch Evans' pace. Not to many mistakes I can correct."
"The front-right wheel is not running straight but we are rally drivers - we don't complain about things like that."
"I think it's the same problem as before - a propshaft or a driveshaft. We have just front-wheel-drive again,"
"A clean stage. It's unfortunate we had the problem earlier but I am really happy with the way the car and the tyres are working now. We'll fight all we can and see where we can get to."
"We had a lot of dust in the car from the first kilometre. My glasses were a bit foggy."
"I'm not happy with that. It felt like a good stage but I need to take more risks. I don't want to continue like this."
"We are not the fastest but I really like this stage. We might turn around and do it again!"
"Happy with the pace so far this afternoon."
"Less rough for sure. Less of a struggle to keep the line. Not really possible for me to go faster."
SS8
Thinks he has an engine problem.
"The ruts in the corners made it very difficult to exit cleanly. A few big surprises in there."
stopped
"A good run but there are big ruts in places. The tyres are coping well."
"For the rough section near the end my car was set too low."
"Towards the end it was getting better but I was surprised by the number of big rocks around. Some of the braking points have cut up badly."
"Good to have some grip for a change. The car is working better but I need to make some adjustments to my driving in the ruts."
"A better rhythm on the second pass when you know where you are going. A really good stage, more neat and tidy than the one before."
"Better, but still difficult. When you start after a national rally for sure the lines are not so good. We tried as hard as we could."
SS7
He's rolled on the final corner! Spectators quickly on the scene to get it back on its wheels.
"A new stage for everybody. A clean run but the car feels down on power. Maybe it's just the warm weather."
"Quite happy. A new stage and I was a bit cautious in places."
"The car is fixed. I can go straight now. Back on pace as normal."
"Still not happy. We tried to find more grip but now the car is too soft. The fight is still on for second or third pace."
"We had a good run. It’s a new stage so I was a bit hesitating in some places."
A better set-up for the afternoon stages. Now we have the cleaning stuff out of the way."
"I went wide and a bit more - almost into a ditch. I have to go completely flat-out if I am to stay even in the fight for the podium."
SS6
"I'm really enjoying myself. The car is absolutely perfect - I don't think it has ever been better."
"I'm trying different driving styles and attacking here seems to have worked."
"Evans is driving fast here. Hopefully I can do better times on the afternoon loop."
"We don't want to push too much. Step by step we're getting better and better."
"Really enjoyable. We changed a lot of notes here and we are getting to know the roads and the new car. All good."
"I was too heavy into a junction and I knew we wouldn't make it round so I went straight on and turned the car around. My co-driver had no idea where I was going."
"Getting better. We had a spin but nothing special."
"Okay, to be 18 or 19 sec ahead now is good but a lot can happen. Just look at what happened to Jari-Matti earlier."
"Very strange. Something broke and I can't fix it. All I could do was straighten the tracking before this stage."
"I push but I can do nothing. No chance. I'm lacking traction and lateral grip. I can't do more."
"Definitely a nice stage, I like it, but I made a few mistakes. I need to go faster but when I push too hard I lose time."
"The car doesn't look so nice but it goes well. The stages have been good since the puncture."
"When it's loose like this we really struggle to get the grip with this car. We'll look at the data in service. At least it won't be hard to improve on this pace in the afternoon - that's a positive."
"That's surprising. Maybe I was too cautious near the beginning."
"I'm happy with the stage. Once again I'm on the limit. Nothing more I can do."
SS5
rolled
"Hard to get the right rhythm. That's just part of the learning process here. We'll be better on the repeat."
"We have fixed it. It was a sensor. It was working properly in here but we still take it carefully until we get a proper look in service."
"I could have been quicker but I came in too heavy to a junction near the end and went out wide."
"Not easy to push here but we try. The car is working well but I have work to do on my notes."
"A good run. We were quite committed. Now we must try and keep the rhythm."
"We have a problem. On a straight I lost the back. We spun and now something is broken in the front."
"Quite good. I will continue to push harder and harder until I get a big warning..."
"Keen to catch up after his puncture on the previous stage."
"Back to a normal driving style now. The pace notes are too fast though, I'm sliding around and losing a lot of time. Enjoying it a bit more now."
"It felt quite good. Not perfect but I'm happy with that. The road is drying out now."
"Okay. I do my race as always."
SS4
off the road
stopped
"The best Jukojärvi I've ever had but hats off to Lappi - he's doing an incredible job."
"I'm not completely happy. Not completely confident. I slide a lot."
"I tried to push here - on the first two I was safe. Not so easy to make a difference here."
"I don't yet have the confidence to go flat-out. For sure the others do."
"A great fight with Evans, but he has done these stages before in this type of car - this is my first time. I expect to be faster on the repeat."
"I hope to take some time back here, it was a better run than the previous one. More efficient. The pop-off valve is sorted now - thanks to the team for that."
"I lost most of my time on the braking. Coming down from 200kph you expect will take more time. It's okay actually."
"I overshot a junction near the end - I lost two or three seconds there. It feels really comfortable in this car."
"It felt really good. I have a bit of margin here - let's say I'm feeling comfortable."
"I pushed like hell. For sure I can't do more. I knew I had to go hard here. It was fun in every corner."
"Better. But when I see the time I'm not pleased. I drove well but the time is not fast enough."
"I have more confidence now - I need to keep this approach."
broken left-rear wheel with very little little rubber on it. "We ran wide in one of the right-handers and I hit a bank. First we got a slow puncture then the tyre delaminated. It's not a complete disaster. We managed to do a good job considering."
"We can't afford to be this slow for long. I struggled the rhythm. I'm trying to think of it as a New Zealand stage and drive it like I'm at home. We'll keep chipping away."
"A very good run. I'm trying to catch up. A lot of effort into [watching] the videos really pays off."
"I don't even want to see the split times. For sure I'm going to lose a lot. What can I do?"
SS3
"A big spin on the first stage cost us two minutes. We have problems at the rear of the car."
"Fairly okay. I lost time with pace notes that were too slow. I expect to get better on the next stage."
"Quite safe. Don’t want to do anything stupid that early in the rally.“
"Struggled a bit in here with new notes. A bit wide in one place but okay."
"Front-wheel drive only until we get to service."
"Not so bad. I struggled with the grip early on, but the feeling came after a couple of kilometres."
"We just continue like this until service."
"It's always interesting to explore a new stage. Two-tenths [off the pace] - I'm happy with that."
"So damp and loose this morning I'm struggling a lot to get these hard tyres working. I have three hards and one soft compound on the car."
"Not good. I don't know. A lot of loose gravel, I didn't find a good line. We can go faster."
"Quite okay. My pace notes are a bit too slow in places but I managed to adapt. Better towards the end. My driving and the car feel good."
"It was good. A good rhythm but a bit too aggressive in places, too sideways."
"Ugly driving. I've gone back to my natural driving style after being too cautious on the opener. I need to tidy it up. I've got to get my groove on."
"Not really good. A couple of mistakes and that cost us some time. Not the best rhythm. Okay, we will continue and try to stay in touch."
"Compared to the first stage it's very slippery in here. I try my best."
SS2
"The roads are so enjoyable to drive - it's amazing. We are learning and the car feels really good."
"We have only front-wheel drive and now in the stage the gearbox sounds bad. This is crazy. We call the engineer."
"I am learning with this car all the time. There is a lot to learn and I will take my time."
"Slippery, very slippery. Variable grip."
"It's a different game here with the speed and the jumps - you need to be awake. We didn't take the risks, so everything was okay. Maybe we push a little bit more in the next one."
"I wasn't sure how good the time would be. I wasn't that happy - in a few places I braked too early, a bit too cautious in places. A nice start but a long, long way to go."
"The hard tyre was difficult the beginning, the conditions were too damp. A few big moments near the start."
"I was not committed enough in the second part. Good at the beginning but not at the end."
"Quite a good start. A good rhythm. In some sections I could fight harder. I need to identify the corners where I can do better."
"A good start but very slippery near the start. The concrete posts mean we can can't cut so much and that can take you near the ditches on the exits."
"A good stage, a good rhythm. I know this one from previous years, but not last year. The feeling is great, I have to continue like this."
"A little damp, so the conditions are not so bad for me but still the grip is pretty low. Not such a bad stage for us."
SS1
"I hope for a good fight for the victory but it will be tough with the loose gravel. Tomorrow morning I will start my big push and see what we can do."
"Pretty happy with that."
"I had a bad start. I'm not happy with my driving. I'm struggling with the gears, braking too early. Tomorrow the rally starts."
"We were not working enough in Poland. I try to a make perfect weekend here."
"The slowest stage we're going to do this weekend I think. I went wide on the first corner and sat out wide for a few moments."
"The rally starts tomorrow I think. I tried here but that was not a good time."
"A good stage - I'm happy with that,"
"We want to learn this event. These Super Specials are not my favourites - I can't take the risks."
"Not easy to find the rhythm."
"First and foremost a huge thanks to the mechanics for putting the car right. It's fantastic - you'd never know anything was wrong. I've got my PlayStation back."
"A bit too cautious. It was very slippery - more than I expected."
"The team did a great job to get it back together. Tomorrow the real rally starts."
"It's our first time here in a World Rally Car. We want to find the right speed and we want to finish."
"A nice atmosphere here, but the stage is very slippery. All part of the fun."
"Not a great start. The pop-off valve is opening. I hope we can get it sorted before tomorrow's stages."