Defending world champion Marcus Gronholm will sharpen his circuit racing techniques in a bid to win his first asphalt rally and jump start his title challenge in San Remo next month.
Defending world champion Marcus Gronholm will sharpen his circuit racing techniques in a bid to win his first asphalt rally and jump start his title challenge in San Remo next month.
“I am going to try something I have never tried before,” Gronholm told . “I am going out to a circuit to try out different braking points and different lines. I need to know where I am making time and where I am losing time.
The problem has been that I don’t really know where that is happening – it is always a bit of an adventure,” he added.
After retiring from the last round in Australia, the Peugeot kingpin thought his title chances were over. But this week he revealed that he had not given up hope of retaining his crown.
“I really need to win now. Australia was very disappointing for me, but I have absolutely not given up. Of all the tarmac rallies, I think San Remo is probably my best chance. I don’t really know why but I seem to go well there,” the Finn said.
Gronholm’s Peugeot team-mate, Gilles Panizzi, is considered an asphalt rally specialist and often goes karting to hone his tarmac skills. The Frenchman, who recently signed to drive for Mitsubishi next season, has won the San Remo Rally for the past three years.