Catie aims to continue good ERC form in Zlín
Having won the ERC Ladies’ category last time out in Italy, Catie Munnings is aiming to continue that good run of form on this weekend’s Barum Czech Rally Zlín.
Co-driven by Alba Sánchez, Catie – who wears a Stilo WRC DES 8860 helmet supplied by Nicky Grist Motorsports – will drive her Saintéloc Junior Team Peugeot 208 R2 in the ERC Under 27 section.
“Rome was quite a smooth rally with no real problems,” said Catie. “We won ERC Ladies as well which was nice and we improved on our pace, we are now 1.3 seconds per kilometre from the fastest ERC Junior so it’s going the right way. It was nice to see that progression on those roads as they were very challenging.
“I did Barum last year and remember it was the most difficult rally of the year. I was really surprised by how challenging it was. I’m looking forward to getting back out there though as it’s my kind of rally. It’s challenging, it’s bumpy, there’s bits of gravel, it’s just a proper rally. I’ve been watching a few on-boards and I’ve seen that the couple of stages are the same this year so it’s nice to have that experience but quite a big chunk of the rally is different as well.
“I think I’ll make a completely fresh set of pacenotes just so they all have the same flow and we have a new co-driver as well so it makes more sense. Alba [Sánchez] co-drove me in Cyprus and we got on really well, we had no idea what to expect as with no pre-event test we literally met each other at the airport. We have a great relationship in the car and get on as friends as well so I think it will be a nice experience to get some more kilometres with her on Tarmac.
“I think we are definitely where we need to be going into this rally so I’m confident we can keep improving our stats against the rest of the U27s. That’s been my whole season plan.”
