Peter van Merksteijn Jr says he felt satisfied after reaching the finish of Vodafone Rally de Portugal, his first event in a Citroen DS3 WRC, last week.
The Dutchman crossed the finishing ramp in Faro on Sunday afternoon in 22nd overall after fighting back from his retirement on day two due to an engine problem which developed following the watersplash on stage nine, Vascao.
“I can draw a very positive conclusion from my first experience with the Citroen DS3 WRC even though I think I was a bit unlucky,” said the 28-year-old. “We had a small problem on the second day that deprived us of important kilometres as we were learning the car. The objective of this rally was to get to know the car. I’m sure I can go quicker, but that will just come with experience.”
Van Merksteijn Jr and co-driver Eddy Chevaillier are contesting 10 WRC events this season under the Van Merksteijn Motorsport banner. Team manager Gerard Grouve said: “I was very impressed with how quickly Peter Jr was able to set good times again after not having competed in a WRC event for so long.
“We have had some bad luck this weekend with the retirement on Saturday preventing us to drive four stages being the low point. It is the first time that we have competed with the DS3 WRC. Despite the bad luck we had it has been a good event for the team.”
Benoit Nogier, the head of Citroen Racing Technologies, the company responsible for running van Merksteijn Jr’s DS3 WRC, added: “We had a technical problem with his car, which cost him valuable kilometres. He showed a very good frame of mind and is already at the level of the other drivers who are learning their cars. We’ll keep making steady progress with him, step by step, as the season goes on.”
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
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