Despite no longer being able to win the WRC2 title, Karl Kruuda is looking to consolidate his 2014 season and go out on a high in a year that has already seen him take two wins.
The young Estonian was in with a chance of lifting the class championship trophy up until the last round in Spain when he lost 20 minutes due to an accident; second place in the championship is still possible, depending on how his rivals score.
Kruuda has shone throughout the year in his Ford Fiesta Super 2000, at times he has out paced the more powerful R5 cars in the main WRC category.
“Rally GB is one of those classic events with really good stages,” said Kruuda, “It’s definitely one of the most demanding and complex gravel rallies of the season because the grip is constantly changing and it’s very hard to find a reference point. The weather is also extremely unpredictable: it’s possible to have rain, fog, snow and sunshine – or sometimes all of them together at the same time!”
The 21-year-old is no stranger to the mixed weather of Rally GB and admits that it hasn’t been kind to him in the past.
“In 2010, when I was driving the Suzuki, a wheel bolt broke right at the end of the rally,” the Estonian explained. “Then in 2011, I was off on the first corner of the first forest stage: it was dark and very hard to see, and we hit a post on the inside of the corner. In 2012 we lost a lot of time after missing a braking point and going straight on into some rocks.
“So it’s not exactly been a fantastic event for us.” he admits before stating that things can only get better.
“Myself and my co-driver Martin [Järveoja] are both feeling very relaxed, and while Spain was so disappointing for us, we’re going to come back from this experience a lot stronger. We’ve already won one championship this year, so two would be greedy! But I think there’s room for another win this year… it would be the perfect way to end the season.”
