Story: Staff Writer
Picture: Motorpics
Being forced to retire makes it hard to find the step back into the championship fight.
Christian Riedemann and I had a long journey to Finland behind them when we tested on the Monday before the legendary Neste Oil Rally Finland. Due to the fact that we were forced to retired in Portugal and without even scoring points, the fight for the FSTi Championship title becomes more difficult.
We tested on Monday to be best prepared for the stages of 2010’s Neste Oil Rally Finland. With seven Finnish drivers entered for this round of the FSTi, it was clear that the main goal for this rally would be to reach the finish.
The stages are very tricky and totally different from what I expected at first; it’s much more than you can see on television.
The first stage of the rally took place on Thursday evening. A short stage of about 4km, and we claimed sixth position in the FSTi category and were faster than some of the Finnish drivers. Actually, it our opening performance was better than we expected and we felt confident for the following days of competition.
The next day of the rally started without problem in the morning loop of stages. After Service the team found that the rear axle was damaged and should be changed at the evening Service. As well as the rear axle, a new heat exchanger was required and was put on the to-do-list for the next Service.
The Friday’s stages went well for Team Riedemann/Beinke, and the pacenotes seemed to be okay. On the stage Myhinpää, it was very hard for a co-driver to read as fast as the speed of the car. It was the most difficult stage I have ever done, and I was quite happy when we went over the flying finish of this stage; I’ve never spoken that much before!
At Friday evening’s Service, the service team did a very good job and finished with the required changes just in time.
At the end of the day we were lying in fifth position in the FSTi category. Victor Henrikson and Jussi Kumpumäki were doing very well; they are unbelievably fast! We have no chance to drive at their pace, but we hoped we could finish this rally and score points.
Day Two of the Neste Oil Rally Finland, with another eight stages, began very well. Although one never wishes that opponents are forced to retire, we were again on the podium after the first stage in the morning due to mechanical problems for our rivals. With Victor Henrikkson in the lead and Jussi Kumpumäki in second, were in third position after bad luck for British driver Harry Hunt and Finnish star Joose Kojo.
We were now driving at our own speed to reach the finish of this tough rally. We did not want to risk anything. It was all going very well until the liaison section to SS16… The car began to make unusual noises, but as we were in a good position in the FSTi category we decided to push on.
At the start of SS16, we again suffered very bad luck: the left driveshaft broke and we had no chance to finish the rally. Again we were forced to retire as a result of a technical problem while lying in a strong position.
The whole team was very disappointed but we are all looking forward to the WRC Rally Germany. The next round of the FSTi is on tarmac, a surface that suits us best. I hope we can finish the rally and the car suffers no problems.
To take a look back at the Championship we need to win the German round or we have no chance to fight for the FSTi title. Of course it’s not easy and there is a lot of pressure on us, but we are confident and ready for the fight on homeground.