Safari Rally – Adrien Fourmaux: “A Safari like we have not yet experienced”

Were you starting to find the time long?

Oh yes ! This is the break we won't be taking this summer. To be honest, I haven't seen the days gone by. I took a few days off after a busy start to the season, then I had the opportunity to go to the United States. Then I did some tests in England and went to rally du Touquet. Despite everything, now I clearly want to ride!

What memories did your two Kenyan participations leave you with?

In 2021, we obtained 4^e place before being downgraded 5^es. For a discovery, I really enjoyed it with the Fiesta. With the Puma, in 2022, we were performing well and then the rear differential broke. I hope we will have a little more success mechanically speaking this year. However, I have the impression that this will not necessarily be Kenya's biggest challenge this year.

What do you think it will be?

The rally comes much earlier this year and is expected to fall during the rainy season. From what I understand, it is expected to rain during the week and in my opinion this will give us a Safari like we have not yet experienced since it returned to the calendar. I can imagine the quagmires that we can see in old videos.

Even if you didn't take part in it last year, shouldn't the course be a total discovery for you?

It is certain that I will miss the participation in 2023, but in this area I tell myself that things can change so much that nothing will be exactly similar to the previous edition. The paths are sometimes redone… or not, the fech-fech is not found in the same place and in any case there are the videos and I can rely on that. Finally, if the rain gets involved, experience or not, you will just have to manage to survive.

What goal have you set for yourself?

It's only the 3^e rally of the season and we change surface again. After the asphalt and the snow, we still have things to show. We need to have a smart approach. At the Safari, if you take risks, you can have great times, but you can also quickly ruin everything. Whatever you impose on the car, it makes you pay for it at some point.

After the podium in Sweden, is there no risk of getting carried away?

I want us to manage to have another solid rally like since the start of the championship. So much can happen in Kenya. If you don't have any problems or punctures, you still have a chance of being well classified. Of course our goal is to try to win races, but we're not going to push for that, not now. It will be for later. Here we need points to have a good position on the road in Croatia.

Comments collected by Loïc Rocci

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