PWRC: Portugal - Araujo and Ramalho Q&A

Drivers/co-drivers: Armindo Araujo and Miguel Ramalho (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)

Q:
Armindo, your first win in PWRC and on home turf; you must be delighted?

AA:
I am very happy. It was my first victory in PWRC. It was good. I have been leading before, but to win here is fantastic. During the race I never made mistakes and the Mitsubishi is always well. In the end, it was incredible to win.

Q:
You won the rally in front of 20,000 Portuguese fans in the Algarve Stadium; what did it feel like?

AA:
Yes, what I feel is that it is more or less like Euro 2004 with all the people with the flags. They were fantastic fans. The Portuguese people love the rally.

Q:
You had a strong start to the season in Cyprus, your pace here has also been impressive; were you happy with the pace you set during the weekend?

AA:
I am very happy. Last year we had a very bad year and couldn't find a good speed. The car was not so good last year. This year we changed much in the team and we find more speed. We were fourth in Norway, which was good, then we were always in the front in Cyprus but we lost the lead and now in my own event we won. And now I'm leading PWRC. This is very, very good.

Q:
What have you changed in the team?

AA:
Some details. The damper engineer is changed and we change a lot in the car. I am much more confident with these new things and now I win again with the speed of 2007. In 2007 we have very good speed, but we didn't get to the finish, but now I have the speed and I win the rallies.

Q:
How difficult was that last day, given that you had a good lead?

AA:
It was difficult, but we had good speed and the correct lines. I was protecting the car from the rocks. I am always protecting the car completely.

Q:
This must give you confidence for the remaining rounds of the Championship?

AA:
Yes. It's very good for me, but it puts a lot of pressure on the team. I need a strong and fast car all of the time. It's a big responsibility for me, leading PWRC and being the first Mitsubishi is very good for us. But now we need to work hard to have this speed in all of the events.

Q:
Miguel, congratulations on the win - it has been a great weekend for you here in Portugal. What does it mean to you to win here?

MR:
It's fantastic to win Portugal rally. Fantastic for us. We are lucky of course because it's a rough rally with a lot of rocks everywhere which could damage the car.

Q:
How were the new stages?

MR:
These are normal stages for us Portuguese guys. I know the area, but not the stages. It's normal