Stohl sealed his WRC comeback in the Top 10 and scoring points in NZ 24.06.2012: The Austrian driver finished 10th overall on board the Ford Fiesta WRC enter under the BWRT. He scored two Championship

The Austrian driver finished 10th overall on board the Ford Fiesta WRC enter under the BWRT. He scored two Championship points and six Manufacturer's points.


Manfred Stohl has rounded up a great comeback in the FIA World Rally Championship by finishing in the 10th position the Rally of New Zealand, seventh round of the season, on board of a Ford Fiesta WRC entered under the Brazil WRT and serviced by his own team.


After four years and a half out of the international arena, the A ustrian driver -and his inseparable co-driver Ilka Minor- proved his driving skills remain intact at the age of 40. He also was able to score two Championship points and six Manufacturer's points for the South American squad.


"I'm really happy for having entered this rally" stated Manfred. "New Zealand has always suited me best and I had great memories of this rally. I enjoyed myself rallying through these spectacular stages and living the WRC atmosphere once again. It was a pleasure for me to be back on the road and I hope to have another try in the future".


Today Stohl had only 63km left to fulfil his aim of finishing this demanding event, but although it was a really short day it was as tricky as the previous ones.


It rained heavily very early in the morning and although it had stopped by the time the drivers left the Service Park in Auckland, the road conditions were really wet and slippery. The weather forecast announced more rains for the rest of the day, so the tyre choice was quite of an issue once again.


Manfred decided to tackle the first loop of stages on a full set of soft tyres expecting to have a better grip, but the road conditions were really treacherous. "I was very surprised to see how slippery the stages were; it wasn't easy at all. I thought today was going to be easier but I liked the conditions" he said.


For the last group of the stages of the rally Manfred started to feel more confident with his driving and was able to set some good times . He was the third fastest in the second pass through Auckland Domain's tarmac Super Special and moved into the top ten after starting the day in the 11th position. "The desertion of Tanak helped us to climb one position in the standings. It was nice to score some points for me and the team".



Stage times - Day 3


SS16 Burnside/Wech Access 1 (7.3 km) | 12º) +10.2s / 11º overall
SS17 Puhoi 1 (17.94 km) | 10º) +21.3s / 11º overall
SS18 SSS Auckland Domain 1 (2.05km) | 9º) +3.8s / 11º overall
SS19 SSS Auckland Domain 2 (2.05km) | 3º) +3s / 11º overallÂ
SS20 Puhoi 2 (17.94k m) | 10º) +24s / 10º overallÂ
SS21 Ahuroa (6.75km) | 10º) +9.6s / 10º overallÂ
SS22 Burnside/Wech Access 2 (7.3km) | 11º) +17.3s / 10º overall




Miguel Mattos, Photos  BWRT, Stohl Racing