How will the challenge of Rally d’Italia Sardegna differ from that of the first Pirelli Star Driver event in Portugal?
The challenge of Rally d’Italia Sardegna compared with Portugal will be the road surface. If the weather stays dry, not just during the event, but before it as well then it will be very abrasive, making it tough on the tyres and the cars. If there is rain about, as there was just before last year’s rally, this will soften the surface more – reducing the abrasion but increasing the number of rocks pulled out of the surface. Either way, this will be one difficult event for a Group N car. Q: What will be the toughest challenge on Rally d’Italia Sardegna for the Pirelli Star Drivers? A: I think it will be the second pass over the stages. There is a lot of bedrock out there in Sardinia, and the passage of rally cars over the top of the bedrock exposes large boulders embedded in the surface, which are not necessarily apparent during the recce. The risk of damage is therefore greater on the second run. Q: How would you sum up the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X’s performance in Portugal? Th
