WRC
20 January 2012"Anything can happen on this rally".
The MINI WRC Team is heading confident but still alert into the final two days of the Rally Monte Carlo. Find the best quotes and photos of the third day at the Monte here …
Dave Wilcock, Team Principal: "It has been a very good day. It was a difficult choice this morning with lots of information coming in, everything from rain, to fog, to ice, to snow, to wet snow – you name it we had just about every combination. Based on this our tyre decision was a safe one, but by the time we left service we realised all three manufacturers were on different tyre strategies. Clearly for Petter the super softs were the right ones for the first stage, but then we were waiting to see how the second stage unfolded. At the end of the day our safe option worked as Petter dropped over a minute to Dani on stage 12. What we have seen with Pierre is he is a little bit less confident on the ice and snow, so for him we chose to run four studs to give him confidence in those wet and slippery conditions. It paid off, as it was the right tyre for stage 12, although he sacrificed time on the first stage. However, it rewarded him with third on stage 12 and that is fantastic for him."
Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37): "I am happy with how it has gone today. In the first two stages the car felt good and I am happy now with the choice we took as we took a lot of time off Petter. In the first stage it was good as I had the right slick tyres. In the second, even though the studs would have been better, I know overall we took the right choice. We still need to stay focused as anything can happen on this rally. If the conditions are okay for the rest of the rally, it will be okay, but if it starts raining or snowing we have to be careful as in this rally it is very easy to make a mistake."
Pierre Campana (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52): "This morning in the first stage I was careful to manage the tyres. In the second stage my tyres were in good condition. The stage was very tricky because at the start it was raining and then at the end it was covered in ice. However, all in all this was a very good day for me and I am enjoying the rally more and more."