Dennis Kuipers says he is holding back on Rally Sweden because he wants to concentrate on learning his Ford Fiesta RS WRC rather than chasing rapid stage times.
Kuipers, who is giving the Dutch FERM Power Tools World Rally Team its debut in the world championship in Sweden, is a strong 14th overall after 11 stages.
“We can go a little faster but we want to learn as much about this new car as we can,” said the 25-year-old from Netherlands. “I don’t want to make any mistakes, I just want to get used to this car.”
Kuipers, who is being co-driven by Belgian Frederic Miclotte, was delayed on Friday morning by a turbo boost issue and has also reported that his lack of experience driving on snow is holding him back, particularly on his first pass through stages.