During stage six of the rally, Munster encountered an unexpected setback when the rear side window of his Ford Puma Rally1 went missing, leaving his car vulnerable to the elements. Faced with the challenge of protecting the car’s hybrid unit from the snow and preventing the windscreen from fogging up, Munster had to think fast.
Showing his resourcefulness, Munster, a new recruit for M-Sport, ingeniously repurposed a team jacket into a makeshift window to see him through the remaining two stages of the day.
Reflecting on the incident, Munster expressed bewilderment at the loss of the window, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding the car’s interior, particularly the hybrid unit, from moisture.
He explained that the presence of water or snow inside the car could significantly impede visibility by causing the windscreen to fog up. Despite the makeshift solution only working at about 35% efficiency, Munster and his team managed to secure the jacket in place using cable ties and tape, albeit with considerable effort.
The challenges didn’t end there for Munster, as Friday’s snowy conditions presented numerous obstacles for the competitors. Earlier in the day, Munster suffered a setback when a puncture caused him to lose over four minutes on stage four.
The tire delaminated unexpectedly, forcing Munster and his co-driver Louis Louka to change it manually, as the cold weather had rendered their wheel gun ineffective.
Recalling the ordeal, Munster described the tire delamination occurring early in the stage, leaving him puzzled as the tire was relatively new. The adverse conditions compounded their troubles, with fog further hindering visibility during the subsequent kilometers.
Despite the setbacks, Munster managed to navigate through the challenges and concluded the day in 20th position overall, looking ahead to Saturday’s stages with optimism.