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Sporting Tarabus was happier to be third on ERC Acropolis

Jaromír Tarabus says snatching second place on round three of the FIA European Rally Championship due to somebody else's misfortune would have been less satisfying than his third place finish.

Tarabus came close to taking second away from local hero Lambros Athanassoulas on the final stage of the SEAJETS Acropolis Rally when the Greek driver lost time behind a slower car. At the end of the stage, Athanassoulas held on to second by just one tenth of a second, before being handed back 32s later that evening to compensate for the delay.

"At the finish of the last stage, we did not know whether we would be the second or third," said Tarabus. "Finally, everything ended up as it should. If we had been second ahead of the Greek crew thanks to their longer hold-up behind a slower competitor, we would be satisfied less than with the third place won in a fair fight."

The result was a first podium for Tarabus and co-driver Daniel Trunkát since their first in the ERC, on Barum Czech Rally Zlín in 2013, and came after they lost fifth place when they slid off on the final stage of the Circuit of Ireland.

"The aim of our participation in this year's ERC is to fight for the podium in the final standings, and in favourable conditions even at individual competitions," said Trunkát, who also serves as team manager for the pair's T&T Czech National Team. "We are happy that we made a success of it in Greece, and we have improved the taste after that unfinished Ireland. In addition, it came on gravel, which is not naturally our ‘mother' surface."

Tarabus and Trunkát, who are up to sixth in the ERC standings, will next be in action on the Kenotek Ypres Rally on 23-25 June.

Zdroj: fiaerc.com