Here - HANDBRAKES & HAIRPINS

FINLAND BRINGS NO LUCK
FOR REIDEMANN/BEINKE
Story: Josefi ne Corinn Beinke
Picture: M-Sport
Being forced to retire makes it
hard to fi nd the step back into the
championship fi ght.
Christian Riedemann and I
had a long journey to Finland behind
them when we tested on the Monday
before the legendary Neste Oil Rally
Finland. Due to the fact that we were
forced to retired in Portugal and without
even scoring points, the fi ght for the
FSTi Championship title becomes more
diffi cult.
We tested on Monday to be best
prepared for the stages of 2010’s Neste
Oil Rally Finland. With seven Finnish
drivers entered for this round of the
FSTi, it was clear that the main goal for
this rally would be to reach the fi nish.
The stages are very tricky and
totally different from what I expected at
fi rst; it’s much more than you can see on
television.
The fi rst stage of the rally
took place on Thursday evening. A
short stage of about 4km, and we
claimed sixth position in the FSTi
category and were faster than some
of the Finnish drivers. Actually, it our
opening performance was better than we
expected and we felt confi dent for the
following days of competition.
The next day of the rally
started without problem in the morning
loop of stages. After Service the team
found that the rear axle was damaged
and should be changed at the evening
Service. As well as the rear axle, a
new heat exchanger was required and
was put on the to-do-list for the next
Service.
The Friday’s stages went well
for Team Riedemann/Beinke, and the
pacenotes seemed to be okay. On the
stage Myhinpää, it was very hard for a
co-driver to read as fast as the speed of
the car. It was the most diffi cult stage I
have ever done, and I was quite happy
when we went over the fl ying fi nish of
this stage; I’ve never spoken that much
before!
At Friday evening’s Service, the
service team did a very good job and
fi nished with the required changes just
in time.
At the end of the day we
were lying in fi fth position in the FSTi
category. Victor Henrikson and Jussi
Kumpumäki were doing very well;
they are unbelievably fast! We have no
chance to drive at their pace, but we
hoped we could fi nish this rally and score
points.
Day Two of the Neste Oil Rally
Finland, with another eight stages,
began very well. Although one never
wishes that opponents are forced to
retire, we were again on the podium
FEATURES
after the fi rst stage in the morning due
to mechanical problems for our rivals.
With Victor Henrikkson in the lead and
Jussi Kumpumäki in second, were in
third position after bad luck for British
driver Harry Hunt and Finnish star Joose
Kojo.
We were now driving at our own
speed to reach the fi nish of this tough
rally. We did not want to risk anything.
It was all going very well until the liaison
section to SS16... The car began to
make unusual noises, but as we were in
a good position in the FSTi category we
decided to push on.
At the start of SS16, we
again suffered very bad luck: the left
driveshaft broke and we had no chance
to fi nish the rally. Again we were forced
to retire as a result of a technical
problem while lying in a strong position.
The whole team was very
disappointed but we are all looking
forward to the WRC Rally Germany. The
next round of the FSTi is on tarmac, a
surface that suits us best. I hope we can
fi nish the rally and the car suffers no
problems.
To take a look back at the
Championship we need to win the
German round or we have no chance to
fi ght for the FSTi title. Of course it’s not
easy and there is a lot of pressure on us,
but we are confi dent and ready for the
fi ght on homeground.