Rally Finland : Teemu Suninen and Eric Camilli show their potential

Well, the Rally Finland did not end the way they expected and the final result does not reflect their performance. But despite the pitfalls, Teemu Suninen, in WRC3, and Eric Camilli, in WRC2, have definitely shown how fast they can be throughout this Scandinavian challenge. Under the colours of Team ORECA, both drivers, members of TMG’s Junior Driver Development Program, continuously progressed while competing in the lead of their respective class. With his DS3 R3, the Finnish driver, together with co-driver Mikko Markkula, posted eight scratch times in WRC3! With his Fiesta R5, the French driver, with teammate Benjamin Veillas, has showed parts of his potential in WRC2, with three Top 5. Enough to approach the next round, in Germany, with great ambition.

“We have a few regrets about this Rally Finland but there are many positive outcomes though” ORECA’s Technical Director, David Floury, confides. “This round is amongst the most specific and demanding ones. That’s why it was particularly interesting for our drivers. Teemu and Mikko were impressive in terms of speed. They should have won the rally in WRC3 if they hadn’t encountered a technical problem which we couldn’t have any control over. Mentally it wasn’t easy, but Teemu dealt with the situation very well. Eric and Benjamin were discovering that kind of tracks. They performed at an interesting level. It is unfortunate that the car headed off the track, but Eric learnt a lot. He reacted well and showed that he was determined to move forward. The team worked as one and did a great job, especially when it was time to repair big damages on the car. The aim is now to realise that potential in Germany.”

Teemu Suninen put together a string of scratch times!
After his win in the Rally de Sardinia, back in June, Teemu Suninen was coming back on tracks where he had been able to clinch his first international success last year. At home, the young Finnish driver was planning on repeating a similar performance and indeed, he did impress: 8 best times in WRC3, two of which in the middle of the WRC2, as well as four Top 3 in 13 stages in total. Those figures demonstrate that he is a serious contender competing for the highest step on the podium. Unfortunately, during the fourth stage, and following on an electronic problem, independent from the team, Teemu Suninen and his co-driver Mikko Markkula had to kiss their success hopes goodbye though they were already almost 20 seconds ahead, in the lead of the WRC3 class! A similar problem would hit the DS3 R3 on the following day, but without preventing the team from posting new best times. On Sunday, he was in the lead of the two stages on the programme, seven seconds ahead of his closest rival in the power stage!
 “I can’t really find the words to describe how I feel” Teemu Suninen confides, 11th in WRC3. “I think that we’ve demonstrated we were the fastest ones by posting most of the best times, with significant gaps including in stages that I was only discovering. It’s the final result that counts and that technical problem prevented us from a potential win at home. That’s disappointing. However, though I had already competed here last year, I feel like I’ve learnt many things again this time. So it’s still a good experience for what is to come next. I wanted to thank the team for their hard work on the car.”
Teemu will make his debut on tarmac in the World Championship as part of the Rally Germany, next round for the Team ORECA.

Eric Camilli, amongst the fastest ones…
With a completely different approach, Eric Camilli was taking his first steps on the very singular Rally Finland. After a promising shakedown and a cautious first stage on Thursday eve, the driver from Nice and his co-driver Benjamin Veillas clinched the fourth best time in the WRC2 class during the SS2 on Friday morning. Alas, they got caught by the specificities of Scandinavian fast tracks and the tandem rolled-over in the SS3. The car got seriously damaged but the team did not give up and after intensive repair work, up until very late at night, Eric was back at the start of Rally 2 on the following day. With a solid performance, he picked up momentum and regularly moved up in the rankings, wrapping up the day with a 5th and a 3rd time, therefore proving his competitiveness. He approached the final day with that positive energy and ended up with the 5th and 6th best times posted during the last two stages. An interesting way to end this first experience which was enriching overall.
“We cannot say that this was a satisfying rally because of Friday’s crash, however there are still many positive points to keep in mind” Eric Camilli explains, 12th in WRC2. “Litke others, our mistake did cost us a lot. After that, we had good sensations on those unusual roads. The car was reliable and the settings perfect. And that’s when we performed the way we wanted. On Saturday and Sunday, one stage after the other, we did well while remaining cautious and not taking too many risks. It was an interesting experience for the future.”  

The Team ORECA will be competing again in the Rally Germany, August 20th to 23rd.