Gryazin takes “calm” approach to Lukyanuk battle in ERC Canarias

ERC Junior Under 28 leader Gryazin has consistently been championship leader Lukyanuk’s closest rival in Gran Canaria, winning the Qualifying Stage on Thursday and staying within a few seconds of the rally leader throughout Friday morning.

Gryazin put his competitive performance on his ERC return down to a “calm” approach, suggesting he had even more pace in reserve to challenge Lukyanuk.

“I was not at maximum this morning. I think we can go much faster because in some places we were not pushing. Maybe this calm driving is better than pushing. We managed the road position well.”

Changeable weather conditions made tyre selection tricky for all ERC crews, but despite Gryazin feeling he made the wrong tyre choice, was happy with how he handled the unpredictable stages.

“It was difficult because it was dry conditions, but we expected slippery and wet and we choose soft tyres. It’s not the best decision, but somehow we managed it and we continued without any problems.

“I hope the next rounds will be better. With the conditions we must brake a little bit early, not too fast in the slow corners because the tyres overheat too much, so we need more calm to drive.”