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Mladá Boleslav, 17 October, 2011 – The end of the 2011 SWRC could not have been more thrilling: Red Bull ŠKODA's Juho Hänninen & Mikko Markkula lead by just three points before the season's last event in Spain. The Finnish crew hold all the trumps to win the title, but they will have to be on guard all the time to hold off the competition. With a mix of gravel and asphalt roads, the 406-km-long rally in Catalunya is one of the season's most difficult events. The other driver of Red Bull ŠKODA, Hermann Gassner jun., will be accompanied by co-driver Timo Gottschalk (for the first time ever). Gottschalk has replaced Kathi Wüstenhagen who is not yet fit enough after a crash she and Gassner had in the previous rally, although she is recovering well.

Hänninen's lead ahead of the second-placed Otto Tänak in a Ford is very tight - only three points. Seventeen points down is third-placed Martin Prokop. Hänninen comments: "Our main task is to get to the finish ahead of Tänak. This rally in Spain will be a tough one, especially because I am going to have a premiere on the gravel roads on Day 1. Anyway, we are working hard to be prepared well, and the asphalt roads on Days 2 and 3 should be up our street. We have the best position of all the teams, and we hope to have more luck than we had in France."

"RACC Rally Espana" is one of the fastest rallies of the whole calendar. As far as the driver chooses the optimum pace, the wide and smooth track makes it possible to achieve high speeds. After the crash in France, the team's other crew, Hermann Gassner jun. & Timo Gottschalk, want to continue the string of good results Gassner has been achieving this season. Gassner jun.: "First of all, I am glad that Kathi is recovering well - I can fully concentrate on Spain now. I know the asphalt roads there, but I am going to have a premiere on the gravel ones. We have prepared well for this rally by doing a series of special tests. If we find the right rhythm, we should achieve a decent result."

Head of the team Raimund Baumschlager says: "Obviously, Juho has a lot to win or lose in Catalunya. He´s prepared to put in all his energy and skill to win the SWRC title. Once again, all the team members are prepared to do as much as they can. Furthermore, Hermann is expected to achieve a decent result in Spain, too, one of the reasons being that he will have an excellent codriver, although Kathi can't accompany him this time. We wish to thank our colleagues at VW Motorsport – making Tim Gottschalk available for this rally is great help."

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