Manfred`s consistency is paying offManfred Stohl and his co-driver Ilka Minor finished third in Mexico, their first podium result with the Peugeot 307 WRC.
The Austrian driver is now third in the drivers` championship and his team – OMV Peugeot Norway – is also third in the manufacturers` championship, one point ahead of Subaru. A very good season start for Stohl and his team!
“We had a very good run in Monte Carlo and then a good start in Sweden before the accident,” explained Ilka Minor. “We make some big improvements on the car and hopefully we can make some more podiums and more good results, but to keep third place is going to be difficult.”
Despite finishing in the top 3 in Mexico, Stohl was not entirely satisfied with the performance of his car: “I changed suspension and the anti-roll bars which gave me more confidence in the car, but still it was not perfect. On this surface, the feeling in the car is perfect, but the times are not perfect so we have to work on that. I don`t know too much about the car on this surface, I was much happier on the snow.”
The next challenge for Manfred Stohl and Ilka Minor will be the Catalunya Rally (24-26 March), a race that will test their skills on asphalt.
“Our experience (in Spain) is less than here (Mexico). We did Spain in 2001, but Tarmac is not our speciality. Manfred doesn`t like it and I don`t like it. We just hope we can make a good position,” concluded Ilka Minor.
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