Well what a great rally this is going to be. In the past I have done quite well here and a couple of years ago we were fighting for the top-three places in a private team so now with a professional team like Stobart this could be a really successful event. Last year also started off
well after I won the third stage but then we fell in love with a tree and the result was not so good in the end! I’m not sure exactly what it is but I seem to drive well on snow rallies, maybe it is because I am from Livigno in the Alps or it could be the style of driving you need to go fast here, sideways, and I love to drive sideways!
On Monday we had a 50 kilometre test with the Focus WRC07 to get a feeling for how it handles on snow and wow what a car to drive. I have driven many WRC cars all with great engines but this car is all about what is around it, the whole package is incredible and it is the most enjoyable car I have ever driven. We made a few small changes on the test but mainly it was used for Giovanni and I to familiarise ourselves with the car. Recce also went OK we had no problems and a nice lunch both days thanks to Mick the chef at Ford.
The Shakedown was positive this morning we did six runs altogether and finished as the fourth fastest crew behind Petter and Phil. There was not much snow in Karlstad but enough ice to have a few good runs but it was turning into gravel quite a bit during the end of the session. Well OK I am ready to go now and I’m really looking forward to starting the rally in this great car. With Henning as my team-mate I’m sure we can do well here for the Stobart team and score many points.
For this event I am proud to have the name of Alessandra branded on the front of my car. This was the name chosen by the highest bidder on my website and will hopefully guide me to success on the Swedish Rally.
Ciao
G G
Stobart M-Sport Ford
