Dennis Kuipers has said completing Neste Oil Rally Finland last week was confirmation of his continued emergence behind the wheel of his FERM Power Tools World Rally Team Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
Kuipers, 25, finished an encouraging 11th overall on the high-speed gravel stages based around the cities of Jyvaskyla and Lahti. It was only his second appearance on the demanding world championship qualifier.
“It was a very exciting rally, I still have a smile on my face,” said the 25-year-old Dutchman. “The difference in speed between the recce and the actual race was huge so I am delighted that we got a lot mileage in this legendary rally although we spent a lot of time in the air!”
Following his crash on his Rally Finland debut last season, Kuipers said reaching the finish had enabled he and co-driver Frederic Miclotte to build their experience of the event, which they plan to tackle for several years to come.
“I am really happy we made the finish without any big mistakes - we have increased our experience,” said Kuipers. “Last year we had a crash, this year we finished and brought home valuable experience and points. I was happy with the pace notes, the car and the performance - it’s going better and better on each rally. But it’s so fast here and then slow and that’s really difficult. The pace notes needed to be more than 100 per cent and they were.”
Miclotte, from Belgium, said their outing on the non-championship Rally Estonia in the build-up to Rally Finland had proved hugely beneficial.
“We really benefited from the experience we have gained two weeks ago during the rally in Estonia,” said Miclotte. “In Finland we had the speed, without overestimating ourselves.”
Kuipers’ performance in Finland means that FERM Power Tools World Rally Team has scored manufacturers’ points on five out of seven WRC events this season. The Dutch squad is eighth in the overall standings.
Meanwhile, Kuipers’ father Rene was unhurt after rolling his FERM Fiesta RS WRC into retirement in the closing stages of Rally Finland.