Rally Deutschland : First podium for Eric Camilli, successful debut for Teemu Suninen!
The team ORECA rounds off a long and technical Rally Deutschland with a wonderful overall result in WRC2! Driven by French and Finnish entrants Eric Camilli and Teemu Suninen, the French team’s two Ford Fiesta R5 ranked second and sixth in a class that was particularly competitive. With a convincing performance, ranked 14th overall, Eric Camilli and Benjamin Veillas ended up in second place and clinched their first podium in WRC2! As for Teemu Suninen and Mikko Markkula who discovered the asphalt surface on board of a four wheel-drive, arrived sixth after having avoided German roads’ many pitfalls.
“We’re very satisfied with this Rally Deutschland” ORECA’s Chairman, Hugues de Chaunac insists. “Both crews followed the instructions carefully and fully met the objectives we’d set. We know that Eric and Benjamin are fast drivers on asphalt, but this time round they also had to fulfill another expectation: being wise while being in the lead. It’s not an easy mission, but they accomplished it brilliantly, while also notching up a well-deserved podium. Congratulation to them! Teemu and Mikko were discovering a new car as well as a new rally. Progressively they picked up momentum, without making any big mistakes. They’ve learnt so much. Considering that, this final sixth place generates a lot of hope. The outcome is thus very positive for the team, it’s interesting just before the Tour de Corse which we’re looking forward to.”
First podium for Eric Camilli in WRC2!
Though Eric Camilli appreciates asphalt surfaces, the Tour de Corse and, to a lesser extent, the Monte-Carlo Rally, were his main experiences of asphalt rallies on board of a four-wheel drive before the Rally Deutschland. The Nice-born driver, member of the FFSA French Rally team, really wanted to shine. He actually managed to do so with a flawless performance. Already in the leading quartet after the second special stage, he climbed onto the provisional podium from the first day’s second loop, before moving up to the second row at the end of the sixteenth special stage on Saturday. Him and Benjamin Veillas did a clever race. Eric combined wisdom and good pace just like a senior competitor would: fourteen times in the Top 5, eight in the Top 3. The member of the TMG’s Junior Development Program finally ranked second, behind Jan Kopecky’s factory Skoda.
“With my best result ever in WRC2 and even in my career, the outcome of this rally is very positive” Eric Camilli confides. “It’s a first achievement in a way. I’m happy to have reconciled consistency and the sheer performance needed. It’s a great podium for Benjamin and I, as well as for the team. We had a new approach to follow, managing the rally wisely. It’s not necessarily easy to drive that way, but we made it and we’ve learnt a lot. This rally wasn’t the easiest one mentally, particularly because it was so long. I think that we’ve really taken a step further this weekend, facing some strong competitors. Looking forward to the next round!”
In a couple of weeks, Eric and Benjamin will return to the Tour de Corse, an event which they both appreciate. For their debut on board of a four-wheel drive, last season, they had finished 4th in ERC. Eric had been awarded the Colin McRae Flat Out Trophy.
Teemu Suninen makes successful debut with the Fiesta R5…
After three rounds in WRC3 with the Team ORECA, one of which, in Sardinia, led to a victory, Teemu Suninen was taking his first steps in WRC2 and in the Ford Fiesta R5 bucket seat. Competing with Mikko Markkula, the young Finnish driver met people’s expectations, working on gaining as much experience as possible for his first entry in the Rally Deutschland. Constantly within the Top 10, though it was its second asphalt rally only, he picked up the pace as the different special stages went by. Though he kept a safety margin in order to avoid any pitfalls, he did show up within the leading quintet on several occasions. Fifth in class for a long time – from the end of the first day to the beginning of the last one – he finally ranked sixth at the end of the rally. A good performance, interesting for the future.
“This rally was one of many challenges” Teemu Suninen explains. “It was surely one of the most challenging rounds that I’ve ever taken part in. The first day was the most complicated one of all: new car, new rally… I had many things to discover! Overall I was quite satisfied with my times for a first go. We settled with a certain pace, without taking too many risks. We made a couple of small mistakes, but I think that it was part of our learning process and they didn’t affect us so much. I’m happy to have moved up from WRC3 to WRC2 and my feelings are improving. Therefore I can’t wait to be in Corsica, where other challenges are awaiting us. Different ones.”
The Team ORECA will continue its WRC2 programme with the Tour de Corse, from October 1st to 4th, with two new Ford Fiesta R5 entered for Eric Camilli and Teemu Suninen.