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The final ERC countdown

All the talk has been on weather and tyre choice heading into the final four stages this afternoon on the Circuit of Ireland, round two of the FIA European Rally Championship, with just 10 seconds separating the top two.

Both Craig Breen and Kajetan Kajetanowicz are believed to have opted for relatively hard tyres to combat the length of the final loop: despite the fact that flakes of snow have been seen at the service park in Belfast.

At the end of SS11 though, only around 30 kilometres away, conditions are dry and even sunny. "I don't think I made the best choice overall for the loop, as I reckoned it was too soft," said the Irishman. "We need to get it right this time, but there's no panic."

There was a distinctly relaxed atmosphere at Kajetanowicz's service area as well. "I've gone for...hard tyres!" joked the Pole. "The plan is to go flat-out, but obviously we have to think of the championship as well."

As for Breen, he will be mindful of last year's Circuit of Ireland, when he nearly lost his win due to a high-speed spin with just one stage left to go.

Zdroj: fiaerc.com