Barum Czech Rally Zlín 

The top drivers along with Lappi consider the Barum Rally to be very difficult

29. 8. 2014 - Michael Tupý, Mariana Petrů, press centre BCRZ

Diversification in form of a qualification brought something new to the Barum Czech Rally Zlín 2014. The 4, 44 km long qualification took place between Pohořelice and Komárov. Third time was the one that counted. Lappi, Tarabus and Breen were the fastest ones and the difference between them was only one second.

Esapekka Lappi, leader of the European Championship and factory driver of the Škoda Motorsport team, had the best time. The position selections took place in the administration building of the Continental Barum s.r.o. The final starting order remained without any change even after the drivers' selections.

After the qualification and the position selection, we asked the top drivers of the European Championship to evaluate their starting numbers and the routes.

Esapekka Lappi (FIN, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 3), starting position 1:
'We chose this number because the route seems to be very slippery and there will probably be a lot of mud and rocks.'

Jaromír Tarabus (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 11), starting position 2:
'The route in the morning wasn't easy. I'm not entirely happy because we made several mistakes and almost ended up in the woods.'

Craig Breen (IRL, Peugeot 208 T16, st. no. 1), starting position 3:
'The weather and routes suit us. The conditions are similar to those in Ireland so we will go well.'

Václav Pech (CZE, Mini John Cooper Works S2000, st. no. 4), starting position 4:
'Our final time was no surprise to us. It was our intention to start from the fourth position. We have a good feeling from our car setup. So far I am extremely satisfied.'

Robert Barrable (IRL, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 10), starting position 5:
'The weather will be a significant factor on these hard special stages. Many things can decide the winner. Nonetheless I think the SS Pindula will be the crucial one.'

Kevin Abbring (NLD, Peugeot 208 T16, st. no. 5), starting position 6:
'We have an excellent and reliable car. Thanks to our car we achieved such final time. My driving abilities didn't play the main role. Our objection is to finish this rally and possible good result would be the icing on the cake.

Sepp Wiegand (DEU, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 7), starting position 7:
'The Barum Rally is enormously difficult. Despite our experiences with the local routes, we can't consider ourselves to be favourites, let alone winners.'

Kajetan Kajetanowicz (POL, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 6), starting position 8:
'It's my first time here and I expect a grand contest. We are satisfied with our result at the shakedown.'

Robert Consani (FRA, Peugeot 207 S2000, st. no. 14), starting position 9:
'Local asphalt is very specific and it's going to be hard out here. I hope my experiences will help me reach the finish line.'

Tomáš Kostka (CZE, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 17), starting position 10:
'We didn't expect to finish in the top ten after the qualification. We'll try to get better and faster.'

Ott Tänak (FIN, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 2), starting position 11:
'It's going to be tricky. There's already mud on the roads. However, we have good tyres and we hope to achieve a good result. But there's a lot of competition.'

Roman Odložilík (CZE, Ford Fiesta R5, st. no. 16), starting position 12:
'This year we want the best final position possible. Hopefully our car won't fail us. We'll try to enjoy it. '

Roman Kresta (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 9), starting position 13:
'I'm happy to be here again and I want to have a good time.'

Jaroslav Orsák (CZE, Škoda Fabia S2000, st. no. 15), starting position 14:
'The Barum Rally has unique atmosphere, which can't be found anywhere else.'

Miroslav Jakeš (CZE, Citroen DS3 R5, st. no. 12), starting position 15:
'We want to do our best with the new car and perform well. There's quite a competition here.'

Bruno Magalhães (PRT, Peugeot 208 T16, st. no. 8), starting position 16:
Despite recurring car troubles, which we haven't managed to remove completely, we still expect a good result. But it'll be tough.'