Munchi's team leader, Luis Perez Companc did not survive long on the Rally Catalunya last weekend crashing out on just the second stage.

The Argentine went into the event aiming to get to the finish as it was his first all-asphalt outing in the WRC. However it all went pear-shaped on the 24.14 kilometre El Montmell test, when he slid off on a low-speed corner.

Furthermore while initially it looked like he would be able to re-start on day 2 under the SupeRally, once the car was retrieved and returned to service, technicians discovered a small amount of damage to the roll cage of the Focus and as such it was game over for good.

“It was a second gear corner that caught me out. I was too much on the inside of the corner where there was some mud and we just under-steered off at low speed,” he explained. “There were a lot of spectators there and they tried to get the car back onto the road but it was stuck. It looked like there was no damage done, we just couldn't get it back on the road.

“The first stage had gone really well and I was starting to get some confidence. My pace notes were good in the slow corners but too slow in the fast corners and there were a few places I was backing off when it was still flat out.

“Unfortunately we weren't able to re-start as there was some small damage to the roll cage. This was disappointing as it would have been really good and quite important to get more experience on asphalt.”

Federico Villagra meanwhile though did get to the finish in the sister car - and after no major incidents was classified 13th overall.

“The rally started well for me. The hardest part of the first day was getting the feeling on asphalt and also realising the corners that will be cut and knowing where exactly the other cars will drag gravel onto the road,” he added.

“I have been surprised a few times when I came across the slippery conditions but managed to keep it under control. The car was working very well for me and Jorge did a good job also. I started off steadily as I needed to learn more about driving on asphalt.

"The second and third days were easier for us because the weather was good and the roads were dry. We decided to enjoy the stages, and the rally, and this has turned out to be a good decision.”

The Munchi's Ford WRT will now miss this coming weekend's Rally de France as the next event in their ten-event campaign isn't until the end of the month, when they head to Japan.