Sainz banks on experience
Carlos Sainz goes into Wales Rally GB, which will decide the outcome of the WRC title, in a relaxed frame of mind. This time last year the Spaniard was in the same position that Colin McRae is in now - facing unemployment - but he could scoop the crown for a third time this weekend
Sainz is jointly leading the championship going into the last round, and he's simply happy to have come this far in the fight.
"Whatever happens, this season will have been an extremely positive experience," said Sainz. "At the end of 2002, I thought I was going to be without a drive, and here I am fighting for the title. That's fantastic!
"I will try to enjoy myself and win if all goes well. Why not? This is a tremendous challenge. But I think my approach on this rally will be different."
Sainz points to the Citroen's reliability as a boost to his chances of at least finishing ahead of Subaru's Petter Solberg, who is one point behind Sainz and fellow Citroen pilot Sebastien Loeb.
"If you look back over the year, you'll see that I've had very little mechanical trouble. I have never retired because of a problem with the car and that's truly remarkable," he said.
Sainz's consistent and mistake-free driving, coupled with that reliability, is what has gotten him this far in the championship fight. But he knows that he will have to beat Loeb and Solberg this weekend if they don't retire.
Sainz would lose out in the event of a tie because he will have less wins than Loeb. The Spanish veteran cannot allow Solberg to draw level with him either, for the same reason.
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