Snow surface on 80% of special stages
Today the two days of training by the teams for the `74th Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo` were completed under a bright blue sky and sunshine. Two days that were also quite exhausting for the Bulgarian OMV duo Yassen and Dillyan Popov. The notes for their premiere in the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship had to be finished under enormous time pressure. Now they can hardly wait to reach the last page of their notes and win the first WRC points for the OMV CEE World Rally Team.
Confidence thanks to testing on snow and ice
The decision to do tests on snow and ice in Austria has proven to be the right one. The first training day already made clear that about 80% of the special stages of the `74th Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo` will have to be completed on such a surface. Even a rise in temperatures wouldn`t change the conditions noticably. "I`m glad that we gained experience by the tests. It makes me feel more secure and self-confident," said Yassen Popov.

Varying special stages
This run marks the first WRC assignment of the Bulgarian OMV duo. The length of the special stages in this series (averaging above 20 kilometres per SS in Monte Carlo) is a slight source of worry for the debutants. Co-driver Dillyan Popov nevertheless shows confidence even though there had only been time to complete the third special stage just once during training: "The time limit for the training put quite some pressure on us. The difference in length of the special stages between national championships and the WRC is enormous. It demands a lot of driver and co-driver – but our notes are finished and we`re eager to start."

Yassen and Dillyan Popov were also impressed by the professionalism of the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship. Said the OMV driver: "The infrastructure right in the midst of the marina alone is a singular experience. We`re really feeling good and can`t wait to get started."


Tags: manfred-stohl, omv, monte-carlo, peugeot-307, henning-solberg, yassen-popov,