After an incredible run in the new Ford Fiesta RRC, Roger talks about the 2012 Cedars Rally, his sponsors and supporters, the MotorTune driver and much more in this thrilling interview…
Roger, we saw you onboard the Ford Fiesta RRC for the first time, it was an easy win. What is your general opinion on the car and the stages?
First off all I would like to thank everyone who has helped us race this car today including AFBFX, Rayes Racing Parts, Lead Race Engineering, Michelin, Fan Art and Motul .
A consortium of Sponsors…
Hopefully, we’ll be able to push hard and participate the Rally of Lebanon in this car; today’s Rally served as a great test bed.
You seem happy…
It is very nice for the Motortune crew who I thank and give them the credit and who worked hard and were eventually rewarded with a 1-2-3 finish. Abdo won the Group N category, Nicolas 3rd, Chafic unfortunately suffered suspension issues so he couldn’t give his best. I hope he will be able to do better in the coming rally. Such things happen.
The new Special Stages were nice; we undertook two new ones this year but they were a bit short. We need to have longer stages in the local championship, I’ll keep saying that.
The locations here were absolutely beautiful but as we said we need longer stages.
Can you point out the differences between the second and third stages?
Second stage was fast and bumpy, it was nice; there were a few tricky spots but overall it was pretty grippy. Third stage, meanwhile, was very fast with lots of grip at the outset, but you completely lose that grip near the end which makes it extremely slippery.
The car is brand new; I cannot really describe the feeling. We’re seeing these RRC and S2000 cars in the WRC and IRC series and they are amazing, and to be able to maintain such a gap today and check the car’s limit it was just an incredible feeling.
You’ve recently announced that Misfer Al Marri will be driving the Fiesta RRC during the remainder of the Middle East Rally Championship; is this also applicable on Rally of Lebanon?
Yes, Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus and Dubai, it all depends on the sponsors. As you know Misfer is supported by Seashore and it’s up to them to decide when to start with the car and when to stop. They will decide when they should start with the car and when they should stop.
What do you think of Misfer’s performance today?
No one is allowed to judge really because we’ve seen what happened to Chafic Boulos for example, this is not the Chafic that won the Hill Climb Group N category; he was having loads of problems today especially with the suspension. We need to tackle these issues before the upcoming Rally.
Same goes for Misfer, I mean he wasn’t suffering from any issues or anything but this is first time he drives on tarmac for almost two years, so it will take him a bit of time.
Even last year he did not participate in a championship…
He took part in today’s Rally to gain experience, he kept improving and he knows the exact kind of training it takes for ROL.
What do you have to say about the drivers in general? Abdo’s Group N victory, Nicolas Amiouni’s and Dany Abu Chakra’s improving performances? They seem to all be on an upward slope.
We all know how Nicolas Amiouni started, people seem to forget that. Nick Georgiou enjoyed a similar start to his career in 2006, and look where he is now, competing on International levels.
Nicolas made his debut with us 2 years ago, and now he’s capable of some pretty fast times, he even has his own fanbase; I’m very proud of him.
Do you feel that Nicolas has adjusted on his EVO 10?
Check his progress from his first rally on the car until now.
Everyone at Motortune is pretty happy with what we’re doing because it’s not just about preparing cars; it’s a whole training and development program for drivers and cars.
Dany Abou Chakra is also training and having fun and improving this year.
What would you like to say to those people who are constantly supporting you throughout every event? After 10 to 15 years of Rallying, they are still following you. It is like you keep on feeding them with success Tell us how you feel about those people.
I don’t know, I just can’t imagine myself doing that for example, it’s not timidity or anything, but they’re amazing, they’re always supporting Roger and Motortune no matter what, it’s just incrdible. I would like to thank every single individual. I just love them as much as they love me.
Roger, apart from Jordan, do you have any other regional competitions?
We’ll see, it’s been a long season. The local championship is over, but there’s Rally of Lebanon ahead of us. We’ll see what can do.
