“You watch totally different drivers as a result of not everybody has the identical driving fashion. So for instance, should you watch Ott Tänak’s onboards, he’s so sideways and he makes use of a lot sideways to typically decelerate the automotive, particularly on actually fast rallies like Finland, Sweden, Estonia and stuff. And typically you’re like ‘he stays flat! It’s not doable to cross this nook flat’, but it surely’s as a result of he makes use of the sideways of the automotive to decelerate a bit. And so it looks like he’s flat as a result of his boot is on the ground, however he slows down a bit the automotive on his personal slide.
“And on the different finish, you should have Thierry Neuville, for instance, who’s a extra front-wheel-drive fashion driver who will brake a bit extra straight after which be a bit extra clear, you recognize. And so it goes like that, and you’re employed out how will you discover the stability for your self?”
Perfecting pacenotes is an artwork, so leaning on these extra skilled now in a comparable automotive is shrewd learning. However to reply the query in-hand, the step as much as the highest class doesn’t alter the knowledge contained inside the notes.
Getting used to it
Louka and his driver Grégoire Munster are a yr up the highway by way of expertise in comparison with team-mates Treacy and Josh McErlean. The Irishmen even have the drawback of by no means having correctly labored collectively earlier than this season.
“It’s positively testing,” Treacy acknowledges. “However I suppose that’s the good factor as nicely. We simply stated it’s testing, however going testing may be very useful as a result of as you get to know the highway, you’ll be able to focus on the best way to enhance and you’ll simply be taught the automotive, you recognize?
“One of many issues I used to be amazed at once we made the step was the quantity of data Josh was having to eat from the notes at such a fast pace. That’s an enormous factor. I used to be like, ‘wow, the quantity of data I’m placing out is immense’, so consuming all of that and reacting to it’s a massive step.”
Identical to Munster – who has overtly admitted expertise of the automotive and rallies from 2024 is a giant assist this marketing campaign – Louka admits he feels much more snug with a yr’s expertise underneath his belt; not least as a result of 2024-25 is the primary time in 5 years the pair have stayed in the identical automotive and workforce.
