Andy Priaulx’s own greatest successes came in his three consecutive world touring cars titles, but in his second year leading the rally’s ceremonial start at the Peninsula Hotel, he offered great praise for those taking on the varied demands of the event.
‘The respect starts from what they’ve done to actually get on the grid,’ he said.
‘It’s the preparation, the money, the family commitment required to be at the stage, and the risk factor.
‘When you watch the top guys, they’re putting it on the line, and they’re going to pay all the consequences.
‘I think that takes a very brave approach to what they’re doing and it is a sport that requires high concentration and everything else.’
He retains great enthusiasm for the rally, describing it as ‘just great’.
‘I love coming out and seeing all these cars here, all these competitors. They all put a lot on the line to be here.
‘It’s great for the island, the hotel’s packed, and I’m very excited.’
His son Seb was also present on the start line, taking a breather from a very busy racing season that includes World Endurance Championship and European Le Mans Series outings on top of his usual SportsCar commitments in North America.
The 25-year-old has got to revisit his karting roots as well as catching a snippet of the rally while in the island.
However, he was having to flying back on Saturday, something he was ‘upset about’ according to Priaulx senior.
‘But he’s got a very busy year ahead.
‘He’s back out of here again and we probably won’t see him for a couple of months now.’
Six-time champion Ross Le Noa was leading the rally at the end of the first day, with Guernsey’s top-sseded driver, Craig Robert, crashing out in the evening stages.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.