As far as we know, you have serviced the car yourself – is servicing the Ford Fiesta N5 difficult? What are the most important tasks after and before the rally?
Compared to the previous R2T, there are definitely more complicated areas to pay attention to (turbo, steering column), but we bought the car from Rokas Steponavičius, who has put a lot of work into this car to make it very fast and reliable. The main work after the rally is probably the same as with other cars, you check everything in a row and that’s it.
Was it difficult to understand how the car was built, and how to maintain and set it up?
As I said, Rokas gave me a lot of advice, I often called him and sent him messages when I had doubts about how to prepare properly. If it was not for him, I probably would have spent the whole season just learning the ropes and now we have a great result in our first season.
How has your driving style changed since the first kilometers with the Fiesta N5?
I think it has only changed minimally compared to the R2T, maybe I drove a bit sharper.
How did Edvinas manage to get used to the new car?
I do not think Edvinas had any difficulties. We had no problems with the pacenotes all season.
Did you expect a huge increase in attention and how did you deal with it?
I was expecting it. It’s normal for attention to increase when a crew that not many people have heard of finishes in the top 5-10, but I would not say it has affected me or the results in any way.
Who on your team has contributed to your doing so well this year?
The family contributed the most — my father financed everything, and our mechanic, Ovidijus Petrošius, took care of the car. Rokas Steponavičius gave us a lot of advice on how to prepare the N5 for the competition, and he and Dovydas Ketvirtis contributed financially to the purchase of the car and other season starts. The Rally4Fun team and the VF projects also helped.
In which special stages or their sections do you feel most comfortable, and where do you still need to improve?
I always thought that wide and fast sections were the most difficult, but after looking at the SS results it seems that they perform the best, I also like slow corners, but I think that tight, fast sections are the worst.
Who have you raced with this season? Have you set yourself targets to beat anyone or have you increased your pace independently of others?
As we wanted to become N5 champion, I was mainly looking at the class results throughout the season. If we managed to pull away from our classmates, we drove a little more cautiously, and to be at the top of the overall standings you have to take risks in every stage and drive as fast as you can.
Has the decision to buy an N5 car paid off? How is the mood after the season?
I think it has worked 100%. We finished all the rallies and became class champions. So the mood is good, now we just have to think about what we want to do for the coming season.
What are your plans for next season?
Unlike in the previous season, there are no plans yet, but if anyone is interested in buying our car, they are welcome to apply.
