PCWRC: Q&A - Toshi Arai and Tony Sircombe.

Toshi Arai secured victory in the Production Car World Rally Championship battle on his home event, Rally Japan, to move into the points lead with just one event left to run. He brought his Subaru home with a comfortable advantage over Fumio Nutahara and then took time to look back at the event...

Q:
Toshi congratulations on a fantastic win on difficult circumstances. You had a puncture, the first of many, early in the rally, how did difficult was it to fight back from that first problem?

Toshi Arai:
Very good, I had big pressure this year and so I have a little bit of fear to drive and then because of the puncture I lost two minutes. I fought everything so it's getting better.

Q:
It must have been tough. You must have felt under a lot of pressure?

TA:
Yes, because I'm in homeland and Subaru said we had to win.

Q:
Tony maybe you can sum up for all of us to the championship situation now, is it still going to be close, by the sounds of it?

Tony Sircombe:
Yes, it's not over, three people can win the championship going to Australia, we have a seven point advantage over Marcos Ligato and a nine point advantage on Nasser Al Attiyah so we have still got to get points if one of those wins in Australia

Q:
Toshi what did you think about the weather and the stage conditions here? It sounded very difficult, there was rain, fog, mud. Did you have the correct tyre choice most of the time?

TA:
Yes I hope so. I did. Not completely correct but nearly good.

Q:
Was this one of the most difficult toughest rally you've driven in Japan?

TA:
Yes, because in the night it's very, very difficult, fog, unbelievable big ruts, quite hard and difficult.

Q:
Tony, you and Toshi must have enjoyed tremendous local support for Toshi. How much does it help the encouragement you get from all the fans by the side of the road?

TS:
It's great to see people out there supporting you with banners with your name on it, I mean, that always gives you a bit of a laugh, but that extra pressure makes it very hard. You know, we came to this event not really wanting to have to go out and try to win. We wanted to be ahead of Ligato and extend the point situation going to Australia so it's a compromise of national prides and a World Championship.

Q:
Toshi, we saw the latest generation of Group N, Subaru Impreza as a course car here. Is this the car you will be driving next year?

TA:
Yes, I think so.

Q:
Finally, Australia is the next rally. Is this the rally that suits the car and Toshi?

TS:
Yes, Toshi has got quite a good experience in Australia, we won there last year. He has won there two times before, I think in Group N. We have all been there fourteen times. I think we have got a little bit of experience. We have got our eyes open for that one.