Ypres, the last chance of victory for Craig Breen?

For the first time this season, Richard Millener did not defend his driver. After leaving the road Craig Breen and Paul Nagle in the 12^e special of rally from Finland, the English team manager expressed his dissatisfaction. “ This is a mistake that should not happen, he commented. Craig approached this turn far too quickly. » If since January Malcolm Wilson's right-hand man has always found excuses to protect his crew even when the performances were far from those hoped for, he changed tactics in Jyväskylä.

Second fastest on the power stage is a small consolation for what has been a very difficult weekend in #Finland.

We @ypresrally ????????#WRC #RallyFinland pic.twitter.com/0Kn4OBupkG

— Craig Breen (@Craig_Breen) August 7

This followed the disappointment of the first stage. From Friday it quickly became clear that Craig Breen would once again be unable to fight for victory. Millener then explained that he did not know what recourse he had to make it more efficient. Confined to a modest 5^e Instead, the Irishman aggravated the manager's frustration by tearing off the suspension of his Puma on a rock.

Décidant cette fois de passer à l’offensive, peut-être que le team manager a essayé une approche différente afin de piquer l’orgueil de son pilote. Breen se réjouissait d’avoir à disputer consécutivement l’Estonie, la Finlande et Ypres. Cela devait être son moment fort de la saison sur des courses qu’il connaissait et où il avait déjà enregistré de bons résultats lui permettant d’être en confiance. Une sortie malchanceuse à Tartu et une autre tout aussi dévastatrice en Finlande ont placé le N°1 de M-Sport devant l’obligation de signer une performance. Il ne lui reste plus qu’Ypres pour enfin démontrer qu’il mérite ce costume taillé par Malcolm Wilson.

Before Finland, Craig said he didn't feel under pressure. It may be different in Belgium where Millener hopes for a change of attitude. “ If we look at the behavior ofOtt Tänak, Thierry Neuville or Kalle Rovanperä, they don't ask questions. Even if something happens to them or if they make a mistake, they don't just think about that in the next time. » Implied, this is what Craig Breen must accomplish, but will he live up to this expectation? Will he manage to leave the bag in the glove box to finally fully exploit this Puma Hybrid which seems fast, but from which few drivers have until now managed to get the best out of it?

After Ypres, Breen will return to events on which he has not ridden for a long time (Acropolis, Catalonia). He will once again be confronted with his lack of knowledge compared to his opponents and he will have to forget his ambition to open his prize list in WRC. In Belgium, the first indications concerning its potential will come quickly with first of all the shakedown planned for Thursday and the first specials on Friday morning.

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