Jari Huttunen’s problems in the Jyväskylä World Rally continued on Saturday, when the car’s power steering failed. M-Sport team manager Rich Millener asks to look at individual top moments when talking about new opportunities for the Finnish driver in the main class.
Riku Salminen,
Tomi Tuominen,
Roope Visuri
Jari Huttunen his debut in the main class of the World Rally Championship had another minor victory on Saturday, when Huttunen’s Ford broke the power steering on the gravel roads of central Finland.
Already on Friday, Huttunen’s car had problems with the fuel supply. Because of the problems, Huttunen has fallen far from the top. Huttunen is in 16th place overall in Saturday’s daycare.
Belonging to Huttunen’s background group Marcus Grönholm told on Friday evening that he plans to talk to the founder and owner of M-Sport by Malcolm Wilson with about the new WC rally to Huttuse. On Saturday, Grönholm stated that it is difficult to say anything about Huttunen’s new opportunity to compete.
– Yes, they avoid questions quite violently. I haven’t received any answers. Wait and see. Let’s finish the race, Grönhom told .
Huttunen’s debut in the main class has required a six-figure sum of money. Grönholm admitted that the possibility of a technical fault was not discussed in the insurance negotiations with M-Sport.
– I just assumed that it would work. Should be prepared. Thinks positively that everything will work. I thought more that Jarilla himself was slipping. There has been technical trouble now. It’s a shame that there wasn’t a clean race, Grönholm says.
Grönholm regretted that Huttunen has experienced all the same problems in his main class debut in Jyväskylä that the seven-time Jyväskylä winner experienced in his entire long career.
– It’s sad for Jari, of course, Grönholm says.
– Jari said that the mood has collapsed. I just said, get over the rotting and let it go.
Urheilu did not have Malcolm Wilson for an interview on Saturday afternoon, but M-Sport’s team manager Rich Miller commented on Huttunen’s situation for the TV cameras.
– We have put a lot into this for Jari to get to this point. We do our best to deliver the cars without any problems. Driving a rally is difficult, says Millener.
– Sometimes things go perfectly, sometimes there are small setbacks due to technical problems. Personally, I think that the first one (the fuel supply issue) is completely beyond the control of the team. We need to investigate this morning’s problem.
Millener wants to emphasize that M-Sport has also played its cards in Huttunen’s debut.
– We try our best. If we can find an opportunity to work with Jari again, that would be great. The costs for these cars are high. Technical costs, but also other costs: Travel, logistics, raw materials and spare parts, says Millener.
Millener also turned the idea of a traditional leaderboard on its head. The team boss strictly reminded of the importance of individual good moments.
– Jar has had good special test times and intermediate times. I think they open up opportunities in the future, the end result doesn’t. The final result would not have changed dramatically, had there been technical problems or not. Maybe one or two places. There wouldn’t have been a podium place or a win, Millener states and refers to the main class competitors and other team drivers in the main class.
Of the top class drivers driving M-Sport’s Ford Pierre-Louis Loubet is seventh and Gus Greensmith eighth. Craig Breen hit a rock during my morning run and had to stop.
shows all Jyväskylä World Championship special tests live in Areena and the app. You can find everything about the World Rally Championship in Jyväskylä at EPN.fi/mmralli.