Poland: Louis Louka: “It’s a maximum thrill rally! »

What is your experience in Poland?

With Grégoire, we gave up in 2019 on the Opel Adam, then we returned in 2021 with a Hyundai i20 Rally2 ERC (20^e, Editor’s note).

What does the ordeal inspire in you?

It’s a rally maximum shivers. I think that out of 300 km of time, we will spend 280 on the 5^e report. It's intense and you have to be wide awake. Despite everything, there are quite a few notes with skies, hidden things. There isn't necessarily a lot of flow, but as it never stops, we still have things to talk about and we shouldn't delay.

Are you more of a fan of fast rallies or do you prefer slow ones?

I like both, but it's true that tackling high-speed drift sections with boys at this level is quite unique. I'm still leaning more towards what awaits us in Poland than for the Tempio special in Sardinia where we are averaging 70 km/h with the fear of putting a toe off the road and tearing off a wheel.

How do you go about understanding the rails that will have appeared for 2^e round ?

During reconnaissance, we try to anticipate them. We are trying to identify places where it will increase more than elsewhere. However, we are used to only writing down what we see, because you can anticipate something that ultimately doesn't happen. Grégoire makes a lot of corrections during the first pass of the race which allows us to be in tune with what you are facing.

How did your tests go?

We had a test day for the three upcoming rallies (Poland, Latvia, Finland, Editor's note), so we had to make a compromise. The 5 kilometer base we used in Estonia was perhaps a little too fast. I know it seems paradoxical to say this, but we were missing parts that are hollowing out. However, we quickly found settings that suited us, which then allowed us to try different technical solutions. I felt that Greg was comfortable and we had a great time.

What will be your objective in Poland?

We really wanted to achieve a good result without going through the superally box. Our 5^e position in Sardinia has been positive. We told ourselves at the start of the season that it would be a great goal to get into the top 5 for our first full year. It's done ! The advantage of Poland and then Latvia is that these are not rallies which are contested year after year which should level out the performances slightly. When it is less known, we can meddle a little more in the affairs of the adults. Our final position will not necessarily be better, but we are also looking at the gaps per kilometer and they will perhaps be smaller than in certain rounds.