ANOTHER DAWN FOR BREEN
It is difficult to know just what else Craig Breen has got to do to return to a full-time top-flight drive in the World Rally Championship. The Irishman, who is set to form part of Hyundai’s three-car attack on the Arctic Rally this weekend, has been knocking on the door louder than most over the last two seasons. The Irishman proved during two years as a mainstay of the Citroen squad in 2017 and 2018 that the pace was there. And, perhaps most importantly of all, he learned. In the 22 rallies he contested in the top-flight during those two seasons, he finished 18 of them. That is a pretty impressive return for someone who was still in his development stages as a driver: mileage is key at the outset of any career, as learning the ebb and flow of each event is much more important as setting a bunch of headline-grabbing quick stage times before chucking it in the trees.
Breen has done all the legwork, and he will be desperate to show this weekend in Lapland that he warrants his place. His job, though, is like walking a tightrope. He will be under strong instructions from Hyundai boss Andrea Adamo to bank a decent haul of points for the South Korean manufacturer and reaching the end in the snow and dark is the job he has been employed to do. But from a personal point of view, he will be desperate to show his outright pace, which has never been in question. It is a dilemma, and we wish him well as he balances his personal objectives with those of the team. The fact that the team trusts him to do that is a feather in his cap, but we just wish it turned that trust into a more meaty programme or even an entire season-long attack.
Incumbent in the Motorsport News readers’ questions hot seat this week is British GT superstar Phil Keen. The former TVR Tuscan Challenge racer has carved a formidable reputation in GT racing and is one of the go-to men if a team is seeking a racer on the ultimate pace but sadly the overall British GT crown has eluded him. Keen himself isn’t bitter about that fact, and it is an enlightening interview that sheds a light on some curios, including his love affair with a 16-year-old Honda Civic road car…
Our columnist-at-large David Addison traces the history of Le Mans legend Bob Wollek, another who performed at the top level without the reward he so desired. The Frenchman, who was killed 20 years ago next month, chased Le Mans victory throughout his career without success, and he ruffled quite a number of feathers along the way, as we find out.