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00:00 from the weekend, they deserve a round of applause.
00:02 They've had a brilliant time out there.
00:04 A tough challenge here at the Acropolis Rally.
00:08 We have all the fans here, we have the fans watching
00:10 across the world on all live as well.
00:13 Kalle, congratulations on the win.
00:16 What a result it has been out there.
00:18 First on the road to first in the rally.
00:21 That is some achievement, you must be delighted.
00:24 - Yeah, of course, I'm really, really happy with the result.
00:27 When you come to a rally like Greece, being the first car
00:30 on the road, you never know what to expect,
00:34 but normally you know that it's gonna be a big challenge
00:36 to get the best result, but yeah, of course,
00:39 when we saw the rain in the recce,
00:42 it gave us some hope that it's a bit easier,
00:45 hopefully, and it was.
00:46 So we could stay in the fight and then at the end,
00:48 drive really clever, clever drive and be fast.
00:53 - And of course, you took the win on the power stage
00:55 as well by quite some margin.
00:58 That must have been a heck of a drive through that stage.
01:02 - Yeah, it was nice to wake up finally today for one stage.
01:07 And yeah, it's not easy when you really cruise
01:10 the whole morning, but then it's nice when you really push
01:14 on for one stage and we could make it work again.
01:17 - Absolutely, I mean, the championship is still alive
01:20 very much in terms of us moving into the next rallies,
01:24 but you do extend, how are you feeling about the way
01:26 the championship is looking right now?
01:29 - Of course, I feel much better than how it was looking
01:31 after Rally Finland.
01:32 That was a big chunk what Elfin took from us in there.
01:38 So it was important to have a good weekend here.
01:41 And at the end, Elfin had also strong points from here.
01:45 So we needed to really push on the power stage also
01:48 to get all the points what we can.
01:51 - Okay, Mr. Haltonen, let's turn to you now.
01:54 - Everyone's looking pretty cool
01:55 with their sunglasses on today.
01:57 Congratulations on the result.
01:59 Like I said to Kalli, to be first on the road here
02:02 is really tough and to not know what the conditions
02:05 were out there, it was gonna be a hard day on day one.
02:07 To win at the end of it must be very satisfying.
02:11 - Yeah, to be honest, it's one of the toughest events
02:15 of my career because there are so many changes.
02:18 I think 11 bulletins, so I don't know,
02:19 maybe 100 communications, so not that much.
02:22 But anyway, it's a big challenge, this rally,
02:26 just for drivers also, but also for co-drivers
02:29 because the organizers did an amazing job
02:32 that we could run this event in this kind of circumstances.
02:35 And there was a lot of changes
02:37 and we have to adapt them all the time,
02:39 but also you have to do your normal job,
02:41 so you have to multitask all the time.
02:43 So it was also a really tough event as a co-driver,
02:46 but for sure for the car, it was tough,
02:49 but our team did a super job and also Kalli,
02:52 so we can be happy.
02:53 - And it has been a tough weekend,
02:55 tough week right across the board
02:57 for the organizers to pull this together,
02:59 for everyone here, we are really, really touched
03:03 by all the support that everyone here has shown
03:06 and given throughout the weekend
03:07 and what has been a tough, tough time in this region.
03:10 - Yeah, it has been a really tough time
03:12 for the local people and you cannot really cheer
03:17 after winning in these kind of circumstances,
03:20 but as for event, the organizers can be really proud
03:24 of what they did.
03:25 - They absolutely can.
03:26 Joni, thank you very much.
03:27 Mr. Evans, on the end over there,
03:29 a big battle we saw today with yourself and Danny Sordo,
03:34 which you've come out on top of.
03:36 You told us last night,
03:37 you kind of went into the final day last year
03:39 in a similar scenario.
03:41 You were seven seconds behind Danny there.
03:43 It didn't end well last year for you,
03:45 but it's a much better end this time.
03:47 How pleased are you with the result?
03:50 - Yeah, of course, this result is a bit bittersweet.
03:53 Of course, in the big picture of the championship,
03:55 Kalle's been extremely strong
03:57 and of course he extends now the gap further.
04:00 So from that side, maybe not so pleased,
04:02 but everything considered,
04:04 the issues we had on Saturday to manage to stay in the rally
04:08 and to then obviously fight with Danny
04:11 and secure the second place,
04:14 we can be happy with that
04:16 and at least it keeps things alive moving forward now
04:18 to the next three rounds.
04:19 - Yeah, I mean, we've got three events left now
04:21 on the championship calendar.
04:22 They're certainly not easy events.
04:24 We've got a brand new event coming up in Central Europe,
04:27 but Chile next,
04:29 which we have seen before on the championship calendar.
04:32 What are your thoughts about the upcoming event?
04:34 - I think it was a nice event,
04:38 but very challenging the last time we were there.
04:40 I think it's happening at a different time of year
04:41 and I believe there's a lot of new stages also.
04:44 So actually I think Chile,
04:46 we have to treat a little bit like a new rally.
04:49 There won't be so much knowledge that we have from the past.
04:52 So nonetheless, looking forward to it.
04:55 It was a great event back in 2019, albeit it wasn't an easy one.
05:00 - No, it certainly wasn't.
05:01 How are you feeling about the championship fight?
05:03 Because as you said, Calais has extended,
05:05 but it's still alive.
05:07 There is still a lot to fight for out there, Alvin.
05:10 - Yeah, of course it's still all to fight for
05:12 and we're gonna keep giving everything
05:14 until it's not possible in any way
05:16 until the end of the year.
05:18 That's what we're here for.
05:21 Of course, Calais driving extremely well at the moment
05:23 and there's no doubt that he's gonna be difficult to catch
05:26 with the speed that he has at the moment,
05:28 but it doesn't mean we won't stop trying.
05:30 - Okay, thank you, Alvin.
05:32 Danny, can we have a chat with you?
05:33 Your mic is just at the side there.
05:35 Hello.
05:36 Congratulations on the podium here in Greece.
05:38 It was a good battle today with Mr. Evans.
05:41 He took the win,
05:42 well, not the win on the first stage this morning,
05:44 but the win over you, yes.
05:46 You took it back then on the next stage.
05:48 He was all down to the power stage.
05:50 - Yeah, but he was super fast in the first stage
05:53 and he was, he have a really nice wake up
05:57 and yeah, for sure I tried my best,
05:59 but he make like amazing time
06:01 and he drive really, really fast in the stage
06:04 and I, the second stage I was just trying
06:07 to be a little bit faster, but he was only a little bit,
06:11 he was already the gap so big and I tried in the power,
06:15 but he did again a good job.
06:19 - You've had an incredible run of things
06:20 over the years at the Acropolis Rally
06:22 and you always see good pace from you here.
06:24 How satisfying is it for you to be on the podium?
06:28 - Yeah, for sure, to be in the podium,
06:29 it's always nice to be here and to finish in the podium.
06:33 For sure, it was not maybe the best performance
06:35 for me during the rally.
06:36 It was for the condition of the road
06:40 when we start a little bit more in the back.
06:44 They were very wet in some places and all.
06:46 We didn't have this like normal advantage we have
06:50 when you start in the back in gravel,
06:53 but at the end we managed to finish there, so it was nice.
06:57 - And when are we gonna see you next?
06:58 - Japan, I think.
07:02 - Let's see, is that what you just said?
07:05 - Yeah, the last rally in Japan.
07:06 - Dani, it is always good to see you competing.
07:11 You have been here, as I said, many, many times before.
07:14 How do you rate the challenge of the Acropolis Rally
07:16 this year in comparison to other years?
07:18 'Cause it's always been tough, hasn't it?
07:19 It's always been one of the biggest challenges.
07:21 How do you rate it this year?
07:23 - Yeah, it was really demanding in terms of surface,
07:26 the conditions, they were really, really strong
07:28 and we had all this year.
07:31 We have muddy places, rocky, fast.
07:35 I think we have complete pitcher,
07:37 is I think one of the most difficult events
07:41 because we have all,
07:43 but we enjoy it a lot and the car,
07:46 we didn't have any problem.
07:48 We are lucky to not get a puncture, any issues,
07:51 so we survived to finish there.
07:54 - Congratulations on the result, Mr. Sordo.
07:56 Kai Lindstrom, let's turn to you now.
07:58 You have been multitasking this weekend
08:01 as your normal job as Sporting Director
08:03 and Team Principal for the team as well
08:05 in Jari-Matti Latvala's absence.
08:07 And you walk away with a Toyota One and Two.
08:10 Difficult weekend out there for every team, I think,
08:13 but it's a great result, yes?
08:15 - Yes, very difficult.
08:17 Like I already mentioned that the beginning of the week
08:21 was quite challenging already,
08:22 a lot of organizing with the rally organizers
08:26 to actually make this rally happen
08:28 and they did a good job.
08:30 And not so easy during the rally either.
08:34 So I'm really, really happy
08:36 and obviously proud from these boys here,
08:40 congratulations, all of you.
08:42 And really proud of the team, the work they did.
08:46 - I mean, it was a great win,
08:48 but it was a fantastic power stage in particular.
08:50 What were you thinking back at base
08:52 when you're watching some of the splits coming in
08:55 then to see him take so much time on the power stage?
08:58 - Yeah, it was quite interesting, first of all,
09:01 to Danny finish the stage
09:03 and then Elwin was behind him
09:06 to see that he will keep Danny behind, sorry, Danny.
09:10 And then, yeah, that went all well.
09:13 And then I see the first bit from Kalle
09:15 and I was like, oh, good, here we go again.
09:17 - As we've been talking about,
09:19 has been a tough week here for everyone
09:23 who's been in the region.
09:24 The rally has run, the organizers,
09:27 and big thanks to the government
09:28 for helping to get the rally going.
09:31 But I think everyone's thoughts are with everyone
09:34 around this region so far.
09:35 It's been great to see the support
09:36 and people come out to be cheered this weekend.
09:39 - Yes, absolutely.
09:40 I don't think that we can imagine what has been going on.
09:47 Looking at the local news,
09:51 how the situation is a little bit further north from here.
09:53 So, yeah, we were fortunate to do the rally here
09:58 and hopefully people here enjoyed what they saw.
10:02 - Yeah, I am sure they did.
10:04 Guys, congratulations on your results
10:06 here at the Acropolis Rally.
10:07 What a challenge it has been this year.
10:09 Well done, and we will see you all at your next event.
10:11 Ladies and gentlemen, our top three drivers
10:14 and co-drivers and team representative, Kyle Lindstrom.
10:18 You'll see them head over the ramp very shortly.
10:21 But Kalle Rolvenperä, Joni Hantanen,
10:23 Elvin Evans, and Danny Sordo.
10:26 (crowd cheering)
10:29 Okay, everyone, we're gonna chat to some more drivers now.
10:51 Our support category drivers within WRC2,
10:55 a man who has been on a mission
10:57 to take a win this weekend.
10:59 We would like to welcome Andreas Mikkelsen.
11:03 He was taking the outright win in WRC2.
11:07 Welcome to Andreas, grab a microphone,
11:15 have a sit on the podium.
11:17 And in WRC2 Challenger, taking the win there,
11:20 we would like to welcome Gregor Munster.
11:25 Round of applause, everyone.
11:26 You wanna sit alongside Andreas?
11:31 Andreas, I described you just now
11:37 as being a man on a mission, and you certainly have.
11:39 After losing so much time on Friday,
11:42 you have battled back to take the win in WRC2.
11:47 This has gotta be one of the drives of your career, yes?
11:51 - Yeah, I agree.
11:53 It's been, I would say, a crazy weekend.
11:56 Friday was so disappointing.
11:58 We ended Friday close to two minutes behind the leader.
12:02 We started thinking back to 2022 last year,
12:07 when I lost 10 minutes after the first stage.
12:10 We tried to catch back.
12:11 We managed to catch two minutes on the lead.
12:13 So on Friday night, I got some inspiration from 2022
12:18 to see that maybe in rally acropolis type of stages,
12:23 it's possible to take a lot of time if you take risks
12:26 and you don't think too much about stones or punctures.
12:29 You just go.
12:31 So we tried and managed to catch 20 seconds
12:34 on the first stage on Saturday morning.
12:36 And we just, yeah, gave everything,
12:39 absolutely everything in every corner.
12:41 And in the end, was enough to win,
12:45 but crazy, completely crazy.
12:47 And this is for sure one rally I will never forget.
12:52 - And do you know what?
12:53 It's so unusual to hear you say that,
12:54 because like you say,
12:55 it's so important to get points in WRC2.
12:57 And normally it's the sensible head, Andreas Mikkelsen,
13:01 we're used to seeing.
13:02 You're measured, you know where to push,
13:04 but it was completely flat out this weekend.
13:08 It must have been like edge of your seat stuff, yeah?
13:10 Lots of risks.
13:11 - Yeah, you're driving a different way
13:14 than what you usually do,
13:16 because in WRC2 you have to be clever.
13:17 It's, let's say it's a short championship
13:20 because it's six rallies.
13:21 And if you mess up one of them,
13:22 it's, you're in, you will have a difficult time
13:26 to try to win.
13:27 So you really need points from every rally.
13:29 And that means being consistent
13:32 and not having DNFs or crashing.
13:34 So that was the approach.
13:37 And after Friday, I mean, we had nothing to lose.
13:40 I was in 14th place or 17th, something like that.
13:43 So it wouldn't make sense to just go easy
13:47 and just wait for the other people to have mistakes
13:50 because we just have to give everything.
13:52 And if all the stars are aligned,
13:54 then maybe it can be a possibility.
13:57 And in the end, it was the right approach
13:59 in the situation we were in.
14:01 - Andreas, we'll come back to you in a moment,
14:02 but Greg, well, congratulations
14:04 on the challenger win in WRC2.
14:07 What an event it has been.
14:08 It's always really demanding on the cars, on the drivers.
14:12 How have you found it this weekend?
14:14 - Yeah, I took the other approach.
14:16 - You took the sensible approach, yeah?
14:19 - So yeah, trying to avoid puncture, stuff like that.
14:22 But still on Saturday, we managed to do some good pace,
14:27 good stage times, a bit further away from Andreas,
14:31 which was flying out there.
14:33 But yeah, we enjoyed our time in Greece.
14:36 - It has been spectacular to see.
14:38 And Greg, well, you have quite a big opportunity
14:41 to prepare for now, because at the next rally,
14:44 we see you step up into a Rally 1 car for the first time.
14:48 So we've seen you in the Junior WRC
14:50 and winning in the Junior WRC this year.
14:52 We've seen you in WRC2 and now Rally 1.
14:55 That's huge.
14:56 How are you feeling about heading to Chile?
14:58 - Yeah, just incredibly happy that I have this opportunity.
15:03 We're just so much looking forward to it.
15:06 And when you see in WRC2,
15:09 the competitor field is just so strong.
15:11 Most of the guys in front are coming from Rally 1.
15:15 So I think it will be a good experience for us,
15:17 try to just enjoy the maximum
15:20 and take all that experience to come back in WRC2.
15:24 - Absolutely.
15:25 It's a real mixture out there.
15:26 Any hot moments out there this weekend?
15:28 Any moments, any risks you want to tell me about?
15:31 Or was it the very sensible drive?
15:33 - I mean, we're still driving fast.
15:36 So of course we have some moments,
15:38 but yeah, I mean, nothing really crazy.
15:42 So we just cruised through and it was all good.
15:47 - Okay, Gregor, at this juncture,
15:49 I would like to welcome in ladies and gentlemen,
15:51 the winner of the Junior WRC here in Acropolis,
15:55 Diego Dominguez.
15:57 Let's bring Diego in.
15:59 (crowd applauding)
16:02 Oh, there we go.
16:03 He's parked himself there.
16:05 Diego, congratulations on the Junior WRC win.
16:08 What a battle we've seen this weekend.
16:10 It's been a huge weekend
16:12 because you've also been battling for the title as well.
16:16 That's gone to Will Crichton.
16:17 How are you feeling though?
16:18 Because it is a win and a win is a win
16:20 at the end of the day.
16:21 - Well, first of all, thank you very much, Bex.
16:23 And yeah, we've been fighting all the way since Thursday,
16:27 but we were quite, quite far away from where the beginning.
16:30 Before starting the event, we were 38 points behind.
16:33 So we needed a miracle.
16:35 The miracle almost came.
16:37 We did everything perfect with Rogelio.
16:40 Pushed all the way without any mistakes,
16:42 without getting a puncture.
16:43 And yeah, second win in a row here in Acropolis.
16:48 So yeah, very, very happy.
16:49 And just want to say congratulations to Will.
16:52 - You are still battling for title though,
16:54 and that is the title within WRC3, of course, this year.
16:58 And that is obviously still game on.
17:00 - It is.
17:02 Another difficult fight because Roper did everything
17:06 he had to do as well.
17:07 He won all the four events that mattered.
17:09 So it's going to be a tough one.
17:11 So we'll just focus on what we have ahead.
17:15 - Diego, we'll come back to you.
17:16 Andreas, we talked about the fact
17:18 that you were flat out this weekend,
17:19 probably the fastest driver out there
17:21 and the man taking all the risks.
17:23 Any hot moments you want to tell us about?
17:25 Any near misses or were we all good?
17:27 Controlled.
17:28 - No, actually, we didn't have any moments.
17:33 Like we had some expected ones
17:35 because you're entering corners
17:37 and sometimes in very, very on the limit speed.
17:40 So you already know on the exit will be a bit tight,
17:45 but nothing unexpected.
17:47 - It's been fantastic to see all the fans out on the stages.
17:50 We kicked off with a super special in Athens
17:52 earlier this weekend on Thursday.
17:54 A lot of people there, but huge amounts in the stages.
17:57 That's good to see, isn't it?
17:58 It's a boost to the confidence for everyone.
18:00 - Exactly, it was great.
18:01 Great start in Athens.
18:03 The stage was super nice.
18:05 A lot of people.
18:06 I was really amazed about the amount of interest.
18:09 So that's great to see, but also not only that stage,
18:12 but all the stages, it's been amazing.
18:15 A lot of people everywhere.
18:18 So it's nice to see the interest here in Greece is big
18:20 for motorsport and rally.
18:22 And I'm really looking forward to next time we come back.
18:25 - Absolutely, we are.
18:26 Gregoire, like we said,
18:27 it's the big step up in the next rally,
18:29 but you take good memories away from this event, yes?
18:33 - Yeah, for sure.
18:34 Like I said, we build up some good speed,
18:37 got closer to the front runner.
18:38 So it's something we can take to Chile.
18:42 - And Diego, it is the, well,
18:46 it was the finale of the Junior WRC.
18:48 It finishes here in Greece.
18:50 You've been a big part of it this year.
18:52 What has the Junior WRC experience been like
18:55 across the season for you?
18:57 - Definitely it's been better than we expected,
19:00 fighting all the way through.
19:03 At the beginning of the year,
19:04 we wouldn't imagine that we were gonna be fighting
19:07 for the title at this point.
19:09 But yeah, very, very happy with this category.
19:12 And yeah, I hope to be part of it again next year.
19:16 - Okay, guys, congratulations on your results.
19:18 Thank you very much.
19:19 Ladies and gentlemen, Andreas Mikkelsen,
19:21 Gregoire Monster, and Diego Dominguez.
19:24 (audience applauding)
19:27 - Thank you.
19:28 - Now, everyone, we would like to welcome
19:32 to our podium here for a chat,
19:35 our fresh Junior WRC champions for 2023.
19:40 We would like to welcome Will Crichton
19:45 and co-driver Liam Regan.
19:49 Big round of applause, everyone.
19:51 These guys have won the championship.
19:53 (audience applauding)
19:56 (Will laughing)
19:59 Grab a microphone, guys, and let's have a chat.
20:03 Well done, first and foremost.
20:05 Congratulations.
20:06 We've got the crowd here.
20:07 We've got everyone watching on all live as well
20:09 around the world to see you two.
20:11 Big smiles on your face.
20:13 It's the championship win.
20:15 Will, how are you feeling right now?
20:17 - Yeah, it's quite surreal.
20:20 It's hard to believe, to be honest,
20:22 the way the rally started for us.
20:24 It wasn't ideal.
20:25 We had to retire on Friday,
20:26 but yeah, we had to dig deep after that.
20:29 The guys at M-Sport Poland did a great job
20:32 to get the car fixed, and then, yeah,
20:36 we just really had to push like hell
20:37 and try and get as many stage wins as we could,
20:40 and then some things, of course, went in our favor,
20:43 and yeah, now we're here, so it's quite unbelievable.
20:46 - Liam, give me your first thoughts.
20:48 You know, knowing that you were champions,
20:50 as Will said, it could have been all over on Friday,
20:53 all of the hard work this year,
20:55 but you sit here as a champion.
20:57 How does that feel?
20:59 - Certainly has a nice ring to it.
21:00 Like, half an hour ago, we were at the start line
21:02 of the last stage, so we're literally just rushed here,
21:04 so yeah, it hasn't sunk in yet,
21:05 but as William said, everyone at M-Sport Poland
21:09 pulled out all the stops on Friday.
21:11 We tried to fire the car up in the tire fitting zone,
21:13 and it really didn't sound healthy,
21:15 so full credit to M-Sport Poland.
21:17 I mean, the help we've got all year
21:19 from the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
21:20 has been second to none.
21:22 They put us in a position where we can do these things.
21:24 You know, it means a lot to us.
21:26 - It does.
21:27 I mean, it's been an incredible few years for you guys
21:29 in the junior category.
21:30 You've been battling away, Will,
21:32 and to finally take that victory,
21:34 that the championship title, which was the A,
21:36 must be special.
21:37 You've had such backing, though,
21:38 as Liam has just referenced there.
21:40 - Yeah, we started in the WRC a couple of years ago
21:44 in the junior championship with a project
21:46 with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy,
21:48 which was relatively fresh at that stage,
21:50 and now, only a couple of years later,
21:52 look what it's produced.
21:53 So, for sure, I can't thank those guys enough
21:56 at the academy.
21:58 And of course, there's so many other people.
22:02 DGM, Marcus, who comes to all the rallies with me,
22:05 my family, and of course, Liam.
22:07 There's so many people behind us all
22:09 that allow us to be here and on event support,
22:13 so to get the win and repay them that way is good.
22:17 So, for sure, I think we can celebrate now.
22:20 - Absolutely, and a great prize on offer
22:22 in the junior category.
22:23 You have four drives now,
22:25 lined up in WRC2 next year.
22:27 That's exciting.
22:29 - Yeah, I didn't wanna jinx it, so to be honest,
22:31 I didn't look into it too much,
22:33 but obviously, I know there's a great prize there
22:34 with M-Sport.
22:36 So now, yeah, I think I'll have to talk to Robbie Vervez
22:38 and get the full down-low on it.
22:41 - And Liam, there were a number of you
22:43 that could've taken the title this weekend,
22:45 and that's what we like to see in juniors
22:47 because of the way the points scoring is.
22:48 It could've been a number of you.
22:49 There's a great camaraderie there, isn't there?
22:51 Were any of you psyching each other out this weekend,
22:54 or has it all been friendly?
22:56 - It was friendly until about half an hour ago,
22:58 and we were all parked on the hill
23:00 waiting to go into the stage,
23:01 and we're all out talking,
23:02 and Diego's car ran into ours,
23:04 and we're all panicking about our radiator.
23:05 So, no, honestly, this year,
23:07 the camaraderie between the crews
23:08 has probably been the best that we've experienced.
23:11 I mean, Laurent and Diego especially
23:13 have been really fast and pushed us.
23:14 You know, we didn't get it easy anywhere,
23:16 and you need people like that.
23:19 We tried to race Sammy and John Armstrong
23:21 this past two years,
23:22 and that really raised our game.
23:24 So, you need competition like that to produce these times.
23:28 - Guys, congratulations on winning the championship title.
23:32 It is well-deserved this weekend.
23:34 Ladies and gentlemen, Will Crichton and Liam Regan,
23:37 our junior WRC champions.
23:41 And that concludes our press conference now
23:45 ahead of the final ceremonial finish.
23:49 Thank you very much.
23:50 (audience applauding)
23:53 (people chattering)
23:56 (people chattering)
23:59 (people chattering)
24:02 (people chattering)
24:05 (people chattering)
24:08 (people chattering)
24:12 (people chattering)
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