Central Europe: An evolved Fiesta for Adrien Fourmaux

We had to wait until the last European round of the championship to see the appearance of the Ford Fiesta equipped with all the developments on which M-Sport had been working for several months. “ Everything we worked on during the year comes together on the car for this rally, explains Richard Millener. There have been things done on the rear suspension, shock absorbers and geometry. We also thought a lot about the different settings. To this we add the last pieces of the puzzle and that concerns a new cooling system. We had difficulty in the hot tests to get the engine running perfectly. Our operating temperatures tended to be higher than others. While this system doesn't play a big role here, it will be effective in the future for hot rounds. If you manage to contain the temperature, it is always easier to raise it than to lower it. With this introduction we should get better use of our engine. » These developments were expected earlier in the year by the drivers, which the team manager admits. “ This is true, but the reduced size of the team and the limitation of our resources imposed this timing on us. However, I find that the Fiesta had an honorable season. The performance ofAdrien fourmaux and Grégoire Munster have shown that it is not enough to have a car, you also need to have drivers able to exploit it because the level in WRC2 is very high. When the majority of the field is made up of Fabias, it is easier for Skoda to obtain good positions than for us when we have 2 or 3 cars. »

Like what he has demonstrated since January, Fourmaux once again stood out during the first stage of the CER. “Here, we must recognize that the performances achieved come above all from Adrien’s driving,” confirmed Millener. With time lost in the first stage due to a puncture, he and Alex had an excellent first day. If they continue at the same pace, I don't see why they couldn't claim victory in the category. »

Author of the best time in the first SS on Saturday, Fourmaux affirms that he intends to continue to attack to finish at the top of all Rally2.