Hello everyone,
It's hard to imagine a more incredible race than this Sardinia Rally !
It was, without contest, one of the finest moments in my career, the type of exploit that I watched Colin McRae experience when I was a boy.
We knew that this would be a difficult rally... particularly the first day. Our first position on the route was a real disadvantage on these hyper-dusty special stages. But the weather decided to give us a helping hand by lashing down torrents of rain, transforming the Sardinian trails so they were more like those of the Wales Rally. In such conditions, we managed to stay in contact with the best drivers before tackling the second day of racing.
On Saturday, the battle for first place quickly transformed into a head to head with the five-times world champion Sébastien Ogier. After the first two special stages, he was ahead by nearly 20 seconds.
There was no question of giving up. The osmosis between Thierry, myself, our Hyundai and the team was complete (the mechanics even succeeded in replacing the tank in less than half an hour !). Thierry drove, I read out my notes faster and more accurately than ever and we regained over 14 seconds on the Frenchman in the next stage.
At that moment, we knew that it was possible. Second by second, we managed to claw back time, ending the day just 3.9 seconds behind the M-Sport driver.
There were four timed stages on the Sunday to make the difference. We attacked at every opportunity, without respite, on every line, every bend, every jump! We were no more than 8 tenths behind before the Power Stage.
At the finish, after a final rush at 110%, we beat the Frenchman by a whisker to finish 7 tenths of a second ahead! It’s difficult to describe how we felt in that moment.
This result also has also given us a super lead of 27 points in the championship.
Finally, on Father’s Day, we want to dedicate this victory to Alain and Carl, our heroes!
Next stage: Finland!
Thank you for your many comments of support,
More news very soon,
Nicolas