In its brief WRC tenure Croatia has been known for throwing up drama triggered by sudden shifts in the weather. Heavy rain rewrites the character of the stages and requires a raft of setup changes to cope.
That’s what Hyundai is hoping to avoid in Croatia this week. Already on the back foot as a raft of work to improve its setup choices for the i20 N Rally1 still isn’t fully realized for the first pure asphalt event of the season, its drivers will be praying the rain stays away – otherwise they may be in deeper trouble.
“The weather seems to be quite clean, I would say, this year. So let’s see if it can help us a little bit,” Adrien Fourmaux told DirtFish.
“If it’s dry, I think we can be more competitive. At least I hope [so]. And for the rest, flat out.”
Fourmaux is hoping for a “full dry” Croatia with consistent, predictable conditions. Because Plan B, if the heavens do open, is a much more perilous choice. In Fourmaux’s words, “trees or trophy” is the backup strategy.