“We all want to drive fast but I have a mission!”
Like his team mate, Stephan Schott, Ricardo Leal Dos Santos is taking his role as seriously as can be as a fast assistance driver. The Portuguese who was the highest finishing privateer in 2010 in a BMW entered the X-Raid Team last year to help out his leaders. And by doing so he captured a very impressive 7th spot. The mission for the former Quad World Cup champion andc his co-driver Paulo Fiuza, remains the same and he'll have to drive as fast as possible to remain within shooting distance of his colleagues Peterhansel, Holowczyc and Nowitsky. Good news for him, he'll be behind the steering wheel of a Mini he considers more suited to his style of driving.
“Finishing 7th last year was a super satisfaction. We didn't suffer any problem with the car or our driving. Being close to the best in the world is great. When they would see me on the track or the podium they didn't know who that guy was. Our role however was just to help the others. And that role remains the same for this year. I can't do much better, it'll depend on the situation. We all want to drive fast, but I have a mission to follow and there's a great atmosphere in the team. I however hope for a better position. I'm now driving the Mini and it's very different. The gravity level is lower with softer suspensions. It's more of a rally car and gives you more confidence. It's more my style.
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