July 29, 2003
Top 3 at the recent British GP - Daniel Wilkinson; Shiro Ryong; and Mikko Jakonen ? talk about their races and the battle for the Championship!

Race Winner - Daniel Wilkinson (EIRE)

Q. Dan that must have been a hell of a race to win! At the end of Shiro's last pit stop you led him by a little under 3 seconds but Shiro gradually hauled you back in and took you on lap 57 only for you to take the lead back again the next lap! For the next 3 laps Shiro must have been up your gearbox! How did you hold it together over those last few laps?

A. Told it would be a good race! I had more fuel in the first 2 stints than in the last and it allowed me to be more confident with the tyres so I think that's how I was able to compete with Shiro.

Q. Well Danny if I told you back at Canada by the British GP you would be a Championship contender and score a hat trick of wins would you have believed me or has all this been a cunning plan to lull your competitors in to a false sense of security?

A. After the Canadian race I would have believed you because qualifying really woke me up and made me realise that I could go faster and start putting more of an effort in. The only plan previous was to finish, and now its to win.

Q. Next GP is Hockenheim, a power circuit, you are at a distinct disadvantage on BHP here how do you rate your chances as I am sure Mikko will be out for blood and I'm sure he will expect his team mate to take some points away from yourself and Shiro?

A. Mapes-Vo have a very powerful engine as does Stealth but I think our engine is powerful enough to compete with both teams - just! Its still a tough ask.

2nd Place - Shiro Ryong (SCUM)

Q. Shiro what a race! You and Danny were lapping to within 1 tenth for the last 5 laps and on the penultimate lap to within 5 hundredths! You had it on lap 57 then lost it the next lap, you must be bitterly disappointed to be beaten by only 2 tenths?

A. Sure it's hard to take at first but it was certainly very exciting and a lot of fun to be running so close together for the last few laps. It's fantastic that Daniel's managed a hat trick of wins but that's allowed me to get a hat trick of my own too&ldots;second places!

Q. You seemed to be playing catch up for most of the race; with hindsight do you think a 2 stop may have been better?

A. No, our calculations showed that a 3 stopper was the fastest strategy and I would've ended up about 5 seconds slower on 2 stops. It's true that traffic tends to cause more problems the more stops you do but our calculations already account for this.

Q. You will have your work cut out at the next GP at Hockenheim. Mapes-VO must be favourites at this circuit and Eric Sosa won't be far behind I bet. You surely don't expect to perform as well here as you have in the last few races - or do you?

A. Hockenheim will be very tough. Simulations show that our power deficit is worth over 1 second per lap so I don't really have any expectations for this track at all and would be happy if I can finish the race on the lead lap! All I can really do is just pray that Mikko has problems and maybe Daniel as well!

3rd Place - Mikko Jakonen (Mapes-VO)

Q. Mikko a good result but you must be a little concerned about the gap both Danny and Shiro opened up, over 40 seconds! Did you have a setup problem as we all know you can go faster than this?

A. A podium finish is always welcome, but yes, I am a bit concerned about the gap. The car just wasn't as good as it was supposed to be in the slow corners. But at least we are aware of the problem and try to correct it very soon. Today left a lot to be desired.

Q. It is looking less likely that Petri is in the title hunt now but you need him to start taking some big points away from the other title contenders are we likely to see Petri looking after your rear?

A. If the team gets the car sorted out good I think Petri will be a tough one to beat. So yes, I'm confident that he'll be able to help both himself and me during the rest of the season.

Q. Hockenheim has got to have come at just the right time for you. You must be confident of using your BHP advantage to keep your championship hopes alive and as I mentioned previously it's vital that Petri supports you. This could be a turning point in the championship are you both up for it?

A Every race is a potential turning point, but it is nice to be able to use our bhp advantage. There's something very wrong if somebody manages to pass us in the Hockenheim straights. We are expecting a good result here.