I’m in a great mood today! Was really delighted to see my name in the start list – I am starting at 6.15 am! My heart is sinking because the thing I was keen about and worried a lot for last few days has finally happened!And start is the most important thing at the moment – I don’t care about anything else.

I checked information about the first special stage thoroughly and it looks quite clear. The longest competition day with a 580 km special will be the day after tomorrow when everyone is still full of energy.Last year the longest 800-km competiton day was prepared for the second half of the event… Well, in general, I cope pretty well with long special stages. I’m not frightened with sands anymore and double-checked my tactics and know when I should pump up or deflate wheels (it is particularly important in the sands), I will take extra inner tires with me to the route when it will be necessary. At the moment everything is going according to the plan. Equipment is excellent, my mechanic is a great guy with broad experience of servicing fast drivers in France, so I think that everything should work!