Before Rally of TurkeyBorn January 30 1984 in Nice (F).
Turkey is Fabien's second JWRC outing.
August saw you discover Finland and the C2-R2 at the same time…
"That's right. I also hadn't driven on gravel for ten months. During recce, I was a little concerned
about whether my pacenotes would be adapted to the terrain but I was quickly reassured on that point after the first couple of stages. I was even pleased with my positioning of the car leading up to the blind crests. I was also surprised by the C2-R2 and it was great to feel so comfortable with the car despite the little opportunity I had had to drive it. Its handling was very balanced and it landed nicely after the jumps. It responded perfectly, even whe n I added a little lock in the middle of corners. I soon felt confident and we set a few good times."
Turkey is a very different type of event…
"So I hear and I've seen a few videos too. In Finland, we went for three days without the slightest mechanical trouble with the car, but Turkey will doubtlessly be more tougher. That said, I am reassured by the fact that in the few badly cut-up portions where you needed to lift, we were still able to post a few decent times. I think the car goes well in difficult conditions.
Similarly, if Turkey turns out to be wet, I don't think we will be overly troubled either. In rained quite hard on Day 1 in Finland and everything went well. It's not a problem for me, especially with such an easy to drive, nicely handling car as the C2-R2."
You seem very enthusiastic and optimistic. What is your objective in Turkey?
"The C2-R2 is not a Super 1600 so I can't say I will be battling with the top JWRC runners, especially as the rally is new to me. I will nonetheless keep a close eye on the gap that separates us from the leaders. We were about 2s/km behind them in Finland. Had I not made a mistake when my concentration dipped on the last stage, perhaps we might have finished inside the top-eight, that is to say in the points. It would be nice if we could do that in Turkey to give PH Sport and Citroën the satisfaction I should have given them in Finland."
Press release Citroen
