“I am happy about my day. I had no problems and my pace is coming back. It is very rough in some places though and there are a lot of big stones.”

[Speaking in service A] "The road section is really tight. It's difficult to make it to service if you respect the speed limits. I'm happy to be back on gravel."


Xavier Pons [Subaru WRT]:

"This morning was not so good for us as I felt unhappy with the balance of the car and couldn't really push. It was difficult to learn too much about the surface as on the second passes it got so badly cut up, but I feel a little more prepared for tomorrow. We made some changes to the suspension during the midday service which made the car feel more comfortable and easier to drive, so this afternoon was better. It's not perfect, but I am happy with what we have at the moment, and with how today has gone for us. We can still do more going into leg two so that I feel more confident in the car, but we were fastest on the final stage of today which was good for me and also for the team. It's a long and difficult rally, so I am pleased that we had no problems today. Seventh isn't bad but tomorrow is a long day so we will keep pushing and see what happens.”

[Speaking in service A] “This morning was not good for us as I am struggling to find enough traction to have full confidence in the car. It's my first time here in Japan, and the stages were tricky anyway this morning with fog and ice, so for sure it is a steep learning curve for me, but I am not fully comfortable in the car. We will try and make some changes during service, and I hope that we have a better feeling for the second loop.”


Luis Perez Companc [Munchi's Ford WRT]:

“Everything goes very well. A very good day - but it was very tough on the second route. There were a lot of rocks on the road but it is ok, no problems. We've finished today.”


Matthew Wilson [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]:

“The conditions were very difficult this morning, firstly with fog on the first stage and then with mud and slippery conditions on the third stage. There was a six kilometre section on stage 3 that was very fast but muddy and I just didn't have the confidence to push to the max there. Generally it has been a good start to the rally though and everything is feeling very good with the car. Most of the time we lost today was on the one stage and there was a section that just didn't work well for us. Apart from that it all went well and our times were pretty good. We lost some time on stage 7 after sliding down into a ditch on a left hand corner and were very lucky to get away with it unscathed. The conditions were tough for the opening day but I felt I coped quite well and am happy with my driving today.”


Federico Villagra [Munchi's Ford WRT]:

“For me it is as for Luis: it was a great day. Everything is perfect. The stages are very rough but still very good.”

[Speaking in service A] “It is fine, very slippery but I have no problems”


Fumio Nutahara [Mitsubishi Lancer]: [PWRC]

“We pushed very hard all day long and it was a bit more difficult in the afternoon because of the big holes on the road. We were careful, leading the PWRC is enough for us, we are happy.”


Gabriel Pozzo [Mitsubishi Lancer]: [PWRC]

“In the afternoon we found the stage very rough with many stones and we just tried to stay on the road.”


Araujo Armindo [Mitsubishi Lancer]: [PWRC]

“This morning we were careful because the rear diff was fixed only in the afternoon and we couldn't push very hard till then. It's my first time over here so I have to adapt and adjust the set up of the car.”


Mark Higgins [Mitsubishi Lancer]: [PWRC]

“I had some problems in the last section because of the traffic and I didn't manage to fix the headlights before the SSS. I know I have to score 4 points to keep the title from Toshi but it won't be easy at all because I'm not in the perfect physical condition.”





Notable retirements:

Marcus Gronholm [BP Ford WRT]: [retired from event after SS4 - rollcage damage]

"The accident happened at a third gear corner at a point in the stage where I changed my pace notes during the recce. It's faster there this year because some trees have been cut down. I slid wide and the right rear wheel hit some straw bales. The impact threw the car down a bank into a tree stump. The impact was hard and on my door. The stage was covered with loose gravel and was slippery all the way through.