World championship Citroen C4 driver Conrad Rautenbach rallied a Super 2000 car for the first time, in Azores. "These cars are quite different to the current World Rally Cars. but for me this Peugeot 207 Super 2000 is a lot of fun. If this sort of car is what the future WRC is going to be about, I don't have a problem with that! With S2000, you have to be really on it' to get the most of them, especially on faster stretches of road. If you hesitate you lose a lot of time. It isn't really so different from Super 1600, it is a S1600 plus four wheel drive and more power. And the car is much simpler than a WRC, there is nothing like so much to think about. You just get in and drive. I find it is easier to find the limits in one of these cars than a WRC which makes the competition much closer. I think it is therefore more down to the driving with these cars. I would like my future rally career to be in cars like these. I think this is a good way for the sport to go. They are a lot cheaper than a WRC, and you have got a lot more manufacturers interested. For me its great!" Conrad finished seventh in Azores, behind the four official team S2000s and two Mitsubishis. The car he drove was the original Peugeot 207 S2000, chassis 01.


Azorean enthusiasts kept saying that Miki was leading their rally. Couldn't be. Miki Biasion had not contested an orthodox rally for some time. It was difficult for them to pronounce the name "Meeke" any other way! More diction challenges are coming to Meeke. He is to contest the Barbados Rally in the West Indies on 30-31 May.

3mmm