"Purely a year of learning."

In their first rally season, the Red Bull Skoda Team brought fresh wind into the World Championship. Before the final race in Wales, which he won as an active driver in 1996, team manager Armin Schwarz talks about the team strategy, his own latest motor sports adventure and why rookie Andi Aigner will be properly let off of the leash as early as 2007.

What takes more nerves, to sit behind the wheel of a rally car, or to stand on the side of the road as team manager?

Definitely the second choice, because you can’t take the wheel and control things yourself during the race!

Alternatively, you have many more structural options – especially in a team that you can give form to from the very beginning. How do the working methods and the atmosphere at Red Bull Skoda differ from other teams?

Raimund Baumschlager and I have a totally different approach than the managers of other teams, who never sat in a rally car themselves. On top of that, everything is a lot more open in our team than in other teams: every team member has a lot of freedom, and at our service area, media and fans are welcome.

What was Red Bull Skoda able to learn from its first year in rally?

We mainly had to learn how to cope with external pressure. When Andreas Aigner got great times driving in the first two or three races, everyone was wanting to see some podium spots. But for us it was important that Andi picked up as many racing kilometers as possible. He should preferably bring the car to the finish in one piece and get to know the course, instead of lying in the woods after only a couple of special stages.

Andi Aigner is to be developed as a future winning driver for Red Bull Skoda. How do you rate his chances for next year?

The first year was purely a year of learning for Andi. He was able to get familiar with his car and the courses and to learn from his experienced team colleagues, Ekström and Rovanperä. For 2007, I trust that on the courses that he already knows, he’ll pick up a few places in the top five.

In Wales, at the last run of the year, there are very different conditions for each individual stage – there is even an indoor stage. Does that work out for the car and your drivers?

The show stage in the hall of Cardiff is a lot more fun for the drivers, because, as for the driving, it isn’t a challenge – although the drivers naturally like the great atmosphere. Outdoors, of course, things are a little bit different – you have to navigate forest passages that are slick and dangerous, as well as inward-banking sections that allow extremely high curve speeds. But when snow is on the ground, everything is different again – that’s why you cannot plan what you will be doing in Wales.

Do you, as an active driver, have good memories of the Wales Rally?

Yes, I was able to win this race once. I like Wales, because it is a demanding driver’s rally, where your abilities count for more than the engine performance.

The “Baja 1000”, where you recently participated with a 740-bhp-Buggy, is the exact opposite. What does someone experience at the Mexican desert rally that the Rally World Championships can’t offer?

At the “Baja 1000” the name of the game was “unlimited”: the trucks of the winners have more than 800 bhp, which practically only allows you to drive straight ahead, because they have zero handling. My Buggy has 740 bhp and up to 120 centimeters of suspension pitch: with these you can achieve speeds also on the hardest off-road terrains that you can only dream of with “normal” rally cars.

Another hobby that lets you escape the everyday stress of the Rally World Championships is to work on old-timer rally cars. Which of these magnificent cars is your favorite?