41. 1000 Lakes Rally 1991
22. 8. – 25. 8. 1991, Laajavuori • gravel 524.26 km • total distance including road sections - 1660.31 km • Other years
Info
SS41
After a crest the rear of the car fell into the ditch and the car started rolling.
Rolled
SS37
No power steering
SS34
Now we must keep Salonen behind. We won't go crazy with Juha.
We were in sixth gear and came too fast at a crest
I still have 1988 in fresh memory, I retired only four stages before the finish, it's a long day tomorrow. I saw the tracks of Carlos. He went off, went wide, hit a bank, spun and had a puncture. I caught him on the narrow section and drove behind for quite a while, because the dust was so bad, I passed him on the wide road slowly so stones wouldn't fly.
Off road
SS30
My own mistake. The concentration got lost. But Sainz rolled at Juupajoki in 1989 and won the next year!
Rolled
Puncture after hitting a traffic divider
SS28
Our own company Muurala Motors, is responsible for building and maintaining this car. We suffer from a weird fault which we cannot find. It's a lack of power, sometimes it just goes on its knees, you cannot lift the throttle or it doesn't come back
I can't take much credit for having the car looking so neat after rolling it (on SS20), I'm ashamed. While it happened I thought I lost next year's income. Now I feel a bit better.
We didn't now happen to have slick tyres, but it doesn't make any difference. There's still long gravel stages left, no hurry. The toughest stage is Surkee, needs to be driven precisely in the dark.
We have gravel suspension and slicks so it doesn't turn. I took the diff lock into the front in the morning, it's disgusting to drive but I have to keep it to get better times.
It's OK, it's the first time I do this stage, last year I was not here and I did not take any risk in this stage.
We took it a bit more cautiously since we had the puncture on Harju. I think we hit something. It's been a bad day. Technics have been all right but we've had a puncture and some hassle. Spectators are no problem but it's been a lousy day.
It went OK. We need to start pushing, we need a kick before Jyväskylä. I try to decrease the gap. I try to go every metre as fast as I can.
Some parts were slippery, some not so. I don't think 22 seconds is enough. This is a very long rally. I think the stages up to Jyväskylä will be important, all the stages.
SS27
It is difficult. The difference is about tyres, Toyota has wiser rubber.
SS26
Slight off
SS25
Broken front diff
SS23
It was a slow right and I couldn't get the gear in, we slid wide and it rolled on its roof. Nothing worse, we changed the windscreen and kicked the panels out. At first there was only one person helping us but we yelled a bit and then we got ten.
Rolled
SS21
We had to drive the stage without power steering because of the roll on the previous stage. It's very difficult to drive without it. But it was my own fault.
We had a puncture and we changed it, we lost two and a half minutes. The engine is working, but the puncture was our crisis.
Puncture, wheel changed in the Kakaristo junction by Mitsubishi mechanics
SS20
Overheated brakes
Used wrong route in recce, had to drive 5 km without pace notes
In the last bit, I was just reckless and went off the road. I lost the control of the vehicle.
Rolled
SS19
You think I've held back? We've kept a nice pace, we just need to cut off the small mistakes. It has gone well and steady. We lost now a bit, not much, but when we climbed up from Killeri, it cut the power on third gear, I almost had to stop and put the second gear in because it wouldn't drive.
It's difficult to find the spirit after the trouble but we must try.
It's been a stable day, no bigger problems. We did all kinds of experiments but they didn't work out. Our speed is what it has been today, cannot improve.
It's a good day, I learn and I learn.
It has gone well, nothing special. We just changed the front diff as a precaution and that turned into a hassle, it wasn't attached properly but luckily it worked.
It hasn't gone well. The problem is with the driver, nothing else.
It's been a tough fight. I've tried to go as fast as I can but so has Carlos.
SS18
I braked 100 m too early at the beginning of the stage. I got mad about that and went flat out for the rest of the stage.
SS16
Big jump, broken radiator
SS15
Hit a stone under braking, brake balance too much at rear.
SS14
We have lost on the small roads. The faster roads suit us better. I know that already from the Lancia years.
None of the seconds come for free here. Lancia is not better. On this stage we jumped too long. A damper got stuck, the car started bouncing and the propshaft went broken.
SS12
Everything has went fine but on this stage I drove too cautiously
SS8
spin
Power steering failure, rolled
SS7
I'm little by little starting to match Hannu Mikkola's times. On this stage we missed a gear only once!
I'm a little surprised [about the result] since being in top ten would have been enough at this point.
It's been learning. I think seven gears is too much for me. I've made a lot of mistakes. The result is not based on luck but driving.
We have taken the beginning a bit more cautiously but tomorrow we must catch Alen.
We were supposed to drive this stage slower but in the end we went flat out. Maybe it would have been better to let Sainz first onto Friday's route.
SS6
There's air in the brakes, I had to pump the pedal a lot
SS5
Broken front driveshaft
SS4
We almost span, the rear of the car was already going first.
The computer messed up the fuel mix twice.
SS3
spin
SS2
Slight off road, broken rear bumper
SS1
We hit the sidewalk edge, is there a flat tyre? In the chicane we hit the sidewalk heavily, but it didn't hurt my hands at all.
Choosing gravel tyres wasn't the right choice. We thought it's better since I haven't done any tarmac driving on the car. I spun on the first hairpin, it got loose, I spun and stopped. The Group A car feels nice! We have to go, the electric cut at one point and the drive stopped at a corner, something was cutting the power but I think it will start going.
This car has the 7-speed gearbox and I got lost a couple of times, chose the wrong gear. It started just like last year, I lost just as much, I think the rest will go similarly as well.
You can hope for another win but I doubt it. It would be nice to win on another decade. The Le Mans win probably helped only Mazda's Le Mans budget.
Yeah, this time it's OK! This year I was careful. I think last year I had one note too fast. The Jolly Club car is the same as the official car, it's only the color of the car.
We took it easy. The race isn't decided on the first stage. Everything is OK, let's see how it turns out tonight. Five years is too long since my last win!
We just had a puncture. I didn't hit anything, the sidewalk. It was weird to drive anyway.
It was good, we had cut tyres, but it was good. We will see who wins this year, I try but it will be hard. All the Finns and Carlos are my toughest opponents.
It was a bit messy but good. We try and hope there won't be any drama this year. Winning the 1000 Lakes Rally would feel better than the third drivers title.
It's OK. Maybe too soft with the tyre but it's OK. I think it will be a tight event. I have to wait for some gravel stages, proper ones to know if the feeling is as good as last year.
Hit a pile of tyres, broken steering
Tyre off the rim