Craig Breen says lying second overall with a stage win at Friday lunchtime of Rally Sweden is a good boost to his confidence – but he didn’t expect his times to be so strong.
After a torrid year with M-Sport Ford, Breen has returned to the Hyundai team he left for M-Sport this season, and Sweden is the first event of his partial campaign.
Running as eighth car onto the stages, and with a podium finish in Sweden in the past, Breen could have been expected to perform well but a stage win by some 3.8 seconds to start the morning was sensational.
It drew an emotional response from Breen who declared how much he had missed the feeling of fighting at the front with ease.
“[I’m a] soft little man, unfortunately you can’t knock that out of me,” Breen smiled to DirtFish.
“Yeah look, it’s been a fairly horrid old year getting back to this point again, but it was a pleasant surprise honestly – I wasn’t expecting the time to be so good like that, but often it can be the case.
“You can settle into a rhythm and it all just clicked and worked. Very happy but obviously very early days, it was a nice little boost in confidence but very early days.”
Breen’s stage win immediately vaulted him into second place after lying seventh overnight, and that’s a position he held throughout the morning.
Heading into the afternoon loop, Breen trails rally leader Ott Tänak by 2.1 seconds.
“For sure, when it’s dangling there in front of you, you’re going to obviously respond,” Breen replied when asked if his morning gave him confidence to push for a podium on Sunday.
“Let’s see. Honestly, I don’t feel I’m doing anything crazy, I’m trying not to take any risks.
“That last stage, for sure in a couple of places towards the end of the stage we knocked it back a bit just to make sure we weren’t sat in a snowbank in any place, so I’m happy for the moment.”
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from Breen’s morning though is how effortless it has looked. Often last year Breen could set quick times, but it looked as if he was on the ragged edge.
“Yeah, like I said I didn’t feel anything special in the stage,” he said.
“For sure there’s been points last year where I’ve felt I’ve been pushing a lot harder than that and the time’s weren’t coming so maybe there’s something to be read out of that.
“But ultimately the time was good and I just want to try and keep it that way now.”
