Gassner satisfied after finishing tough French rally

Hermann Gassner Jr has finished his "best ever rally" in 33rd position overall following three tough days of competition on France’s round of the world championship, held in the Alsace region of the country from October 1-3.

Gassner Jr, who set a staggering pace in the Group N class despite using a car that was older and less sophisticated than those driven by his key rivals, was forced to restart under SupeRally regulations on Sunday morning under following his retirement from Saturday’s leg as he was waiting to start the final stage of the day.

The problem was traced to a faulty electrical connector to the fuel pump, which was quickly fixed by Gassner’s mechanics in service on Saturday night.

"It was a stupid problem, which took very little time to fix," said Gassner Jr’s team boss Raimund Baumschlager. "It was a shame for Hermann but what we must remember was that he drove very, very well in very difficult conditions and showed a very good pace. He continued to do a good job today even if his performance was not reflected in his result.

"Of course he was capable of a much better result had it not been for his problem on Saturday and a driveshaft failure on Sunday. But it was the experience he took away from the event that was important. Here he learned lots and I am very pleased for him and his co-driver Kathi. The great thing now is that he will do two more events in Spain and Great Britain, where he will be able to put into practice the lessons he learned he and get what he needs most: time in the car."

Gassner Jr and co-driver Kathi Wuestenhagen completed Sunday’s three stages without incident. Afterwards, a satisfied Gassner Jr, 21, said: "I’m pleased with my performance because my times were good on Saturday. It has definitely been my best rally because the conditions were very tricky but I learned so much without making any mistakes. We now go to Spain and Great Britain for the last two WRC rallies this year and I am very excited about those events."