WRC: Q&A w/ Michal Kościuszko on his WRC debut @ 2013 Monte Carlo

Steve · Jan 23, 2013

It's the Opportunity of My Dreams. (MiniMotorsport.com)

23 January 2013

Michal Kościuszko enjoyed a great debut in the MINI WRC for the Lotos Rally Team at the Rally Monte Carlo. In this Q&A Michal speaks about the Monte, the MINI and his goals for the 2013 season.

In only his first run in a MINI John Cooper Works WRC Michal Kościuszko finished 10th at one of the most legendary and also one of the most difficult rallies of the WRC season, the Rally Monte Carlo. On the snowy special stages where MINI fans will always be reminded of the great successes of Paddy Hopkirk, Timo MÃ¤kinen and Rauno Aaltonen in their classic Mini Cooper S cars in the 1960s and where the brand claimed a second place finish in 2012, Michal competed with the rest of this seasonâ€™s WRC drivers. â€œIt will be a completely new challenge,â€ said the 27-year-old Pole, who won the Monteâ€™s PWRC category in a Group N car last year, before the rally. Find out what the rookie Lotos Rally Team driver has to say about his successful debut in the MINI WRC.

Question: Your first competitive run in a MINI WRC which comes with your first WRC championship point. How proud are you with your 10th place finish at the Monte Carlo Rally?

Michal Kościuszko: I am happy to have finished 10th on what was probably the hardest rally of my career so far! It was good experience though, because we faced every tough condition imaginable. I am always determined to improve and I'm looking forward to learning more about the car during the season and hopefully climbing the leader board a little. I want to spend time testing, working with more experienced drivers and going through my data with my engineer whenever possible. Driving a MINI John Cooper Works WRC on all 13 rounds of the 2013 WRC is the opportunity of my dreams, so I plan to make the most of it! Of course I have to thank my main sponsor Lotos, because none of it would be possible if they hadn't shown confidence in me.

Question: You did a couple of shorter pre-Monte tests with the car. How has your feel for the MINI WRC improved by driving it in real competition?

Michal: We did one pre-event test of just over 100 kilometres on the Friday before the event. Nothing could have prepared someone for everything that we as competitors had to face during Monte though. One good point about the Monte is that despite the cancellation of the final two stages, it was a long event, so we put in quite a bit of time in the car. Now we go to Sweden, where we'll tackle another different condition and then we'll hit the Mexican gravel. For me the first three rounds this year will all be a massive learning curve, but of course every time I sit in the car I learn something new.

Question: You have known the Motorsport Italia Team for quite some time before you switched cars to driving the MINI. How does that help you making a successful transition?

Michal: It does help. I have a lot of faith my Team Manager, Bruno. I have been working with him for two seasons already and we know that we work well together. Tomo, my engineer, isn't someone I have had the chance to work with before, but he is very experienced and very professional, so I am happy to have the chance to work with him now. Generally, everyone is easy to work with and the atmosphere in the team is good, even when everyone's working hard and putting in long hours.

Question: Next up is the Rally Sweden. Please describe your preparations leading towards the 2nd WRC round? And what is it that you will be working on in particular?

Michal: I have only done Rally Sweden once before and that was seven years ago in a 2WD rally car, so I have a lot to learn now. I'm looking forward to it though. We will do one day's pre-event test, like before Monte and will try to find a good set-up by testing different dampers and also get used to our snow tyres.

Question: Overall for the 2013 WRC season, what is your objective, what are your goals - personally and as a professional?

Michal: My number one goal is to make the most of the fantastic opportunity I have been given. I hope this is the start of a long-term career in the WRC, but I don't expect anyone to help me unless I earn it. It would be nice to finish in the Top 10 on every event (and maybe even knock on the Top 5), but at the moment it's difficult to know exactly what I am capable of. What I do know is that I will do everything I can to prove that I deserve this chance, get the best results possible and listen to the advice of the experienced people around me.

Find more photos of Michal at the 2013 Rally Monte Carlo on Facebook.com/MINImotorsport.
Click to expand...

Forums

WRC: Q&A w/ Michal Kościuszko on his WRC debut @ 2013 Monte Carlo

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator

Share This Page

Useful Searches

WRC: Q&A w/ Michal Kościuszko on his WRC debut @ 2013 Monte Carlo

Steve Administrator Staff Member Articles Moderator

Share This Page

Steve Administrator
Staff Member Articles Moderator