Jan Kopecký/Pavel Dresler, Bryan Bouffier and Raimund Baumschlager/Klaus Wicha attended the post-event press conference for the International Jännerrallye. A transcript follows.
Jan Kopecký: Congratulations on a second consecutive victory on the Jännerrallye although it was a bit more dramatic this year. Can you describe what it was like at the end of the final stage?
JK: “We were just a little bit quicker! The last stage was very difficult but we had a really great car and the set-up was very good for the stages. We just said we would try because we had nothing to lose apart from maybe the car in the forest. We tried and finally we won.”
You were leading fairly comfortably until stage 15, what happened and did you fear your chances of victory were over?
JK: “You have too many rocks on the side of the corners in Austria! Sometimes for me I don’t understand. I think the Tarmac has a little more grip than the field but on the second pass I had the feeling we are using the field more than the road. There was some lose stone in the line, I hit it and I made a puncture.”
You said before the start that ŠKODA would announce your ERC programme for the rest of the year after this rally. What news do you have and how important would an ERC title bid be to you?
JK: “Bohemia and Barum, that’s it, it’s true. It would be nice [to win the championship] because I have not been European champion and it would be a really nice feeling.”
Pavel Dresler: Snow and ice was a factor on day one but there was a lot of rain today. How difficult was it, particularly taking into account your road position?
PD: “It was difficult because the conditions on the stages was like a rollercoaster, some stage was without snow, some with snow, some with gravel, some without gravel. It was very difficult for everyone but we take the good [Michelin] tyres, the car was good and Jan drive very well. On the snow it was really difficult to be the first car because we make the line for the other cars.”
We are very close to the Czech border here: did you feel a lot of support from Czech fans?
PD: “There was a lot of Czech fans, my friends and Jan’s friends. It was very nice to see, a very good feeling.”
Bryan Bouffier: How much pressure were you feeling before the start of the final stage?
BB: “The pressure was during the whole rally because it is so tricky race. On a normal Tarmac rally you can drive a bit safe without a lot of pressure but on each corner it was quite easy to go off so my pressure was on 100 per cent during the weekend. I was trying to go as fast as possible but Jan was completely flying and in the end it was not possible to keep the distance to Jan. It was a fantastic weekend and it’s always very good to drive against a great team and great driver like Jan. It would be better to win but I’m very satisfied with this second place.”
Could you have done any more to win or were you on the limit?
BB: “Maybe 0.6s quicker on my start! For sure you can find so many places where you can be quicker.”
Do you think you will be in a position to do enough rallies to challenge for the ERC title this year?
BB: “To be honest it was my only race this year so I have to find a way to get more rounds but up to now it’s just one race."
It was your first time here. What are your impressions of the event?
BB: “The event it’s a great organisation. I cannot say I was surprised because I thought I would find a perfect organisation but especially with the security the organisers did a very good job. There were so many spectators and the Austrian and Czech spectators are a bit more serious than in France. They respect the distance about the race and it’s better in this way. I was hoping it would be a bit more on snow but the stages are very difficult and I must say it was one of the most difficult races I have done in my short career I hope. It was very tricky about the tyre choice, trying to find the proper set-up.”
If we can promise you snow next year will you come back?
BB: “Even if you don’t have any snow I will try to come back.”
What was your first event with your new co-driver Olivier Fournier like?
BB: “Yes it was okay. He did a very good job, it was not easy for him because it was our first time together and we only had two passes in the stages but he was really professional and thanks to him he had a great responsibility in our result.”
Raimund Baumschlager: Your tyre choice on the first day made a real difference, when you were the only one to choose narrow studded tyres. What persuaded you to go with this choice?
RB: “I was expecting a little bit less gap between us after stage one, I didn’t expect one minute, that was a bit shocking for me. But we had another two stages and I thought I could get the time back but I was not really sure if it was the right decision after stage one but after stage two it was clear it was much more safe and when you are older you have to be on the safer side.”
You were firmly in the fight for victory yesterday but slipped back a bit today. Why was this?
RB: “These two guys are much younger, they are factory drivers and I am a private driver. It’s not so easy for me to say I can crash the car in the woods, I have to buy this car with my money and of course they are faster. I couldn’t see a chance to win so I took points for the Austrian championship which is much more important. The system in Austria is not so easy because if you win you get just two points more than the second one. So we have now Václav Pech between Beppo [Harrach] and myself so it’s very good for me. I can lose two times against him and we are equal. It was really difficult but at the end of the day the car was working well like always and we always made the right tyre choice.”
As well as being a driver you are also a successful team principal. Which role do you get most pleasure from?
RB: “Normally I like most test driving, this is what I really like because there is always the pressure you have to give the engineers always the right answers. I like driving and like also to be team manager and working with the young guys. It’s always good to give some advice to the young drivers and I like very much to see some success.”
Klaus Wicha: Klaus, you are a very experienced co-driver at every level of the sport. What are your first impressions of the new-look European Rally Championship?
KW: “The IRC switching to the ERC maybe they can come back to the same level they had 25 years ago. I think also this Eurosport coverage should be good.”
Was the Austrian championship your main focus here, or was the objective to try to win the rally outright, as you last did together in 2004?
KW: “During both days you are always thinking about fighting for victory but at the end of the day we are concentrating on the championship.”