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Rally reactions: Rallye Monte Carlo - Day 2 |
Sebastien Loeb [Citroen Total WRT]:
"The day went well. We adopted a quick pace to try to increase our lead and I was pleased with the performance of our C4 WRC. Its set-up was well suited to the conditions. I also happy with the way our Pirelli tyres performed. They worked well in today's rather cold, damp conditions. We can't afford to drop our guard, however, because there are still two more difficult days to come."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I am fairly pleased. We have increased our lead. Dani is going fast though and we have to stay watchful. The gap to Ford seems big but there is still the risk of a puncture. Everybody will take more risks during the second loop and the roads will be covered with dirt. I drove carefully in SS3 in order to preserve my tyres. The tyres seem to behave nicely. I drove fast with a clean style. There are many spectators and being a Frenchman in a French car does help a lot!"
Daniel Sordo [Citroen Total WRT]:
"Our day can be divided into two parts. Everything went well this morning but we had a technical problem on SS6 this afternoon and that affected the handling of my C4 from about halfway into the stage. We had to continue like that for the next two stages but we managed to hold on to second place, although the incident showed that this rally is far from over. Plenty can still happen before Sunday's finish."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I am fairly pleased. We did not drive on the apex of the curves because we did not want to take any risks with our tyres."
Mikko Hirvonen [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]:
"I've not settled for third because second is possible and I will be close to full attack tomorrow. I was faster this afternoon and last year I was quick on tomorrow's stages, which are quite abrasive, so I will try my hardest. It won't be easy but I'm not giving up because there are still two days remaining in this rally. I'm still trying to learn Pirelli's tyres and that's not easy in these conditions. I thought the new tyre rules (which essentially restrict drivers to control rubber) would make the competition tighter and I'm closer to the leader than I was in 2007. I'm developing a better feeling with them and learning as I go on."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] "The roads were dry, with only a few damp patches. I felt more comfortable than last night but the asphalt is changeable and it was difficult to find confidence with the new tyres. I had a stiffer car set-up and it felt good. I'm trying to keep my pace close to Sordo but I'm not trying to fight him. There's no point in me slowing down either because I need to learn about the tyres at full speed. Drivers have been cutting corners so I must be careful now as there may be stones in the bends."
Chris Atkinson [Subaru WRT]:
"I'm happy with today – we started ok this morning, and then made some setup changes during the midday service which worked better. In the afternoon loop we pushed hard to finish with two third fastest stage times to keep fourth overall after today. There's a long way to go, but we're in a good position and going well. Tomorrow's stages are very fast. I went well on them last year although now there are slight changes to the routes, but I am looking forward to continuing the fight tomorrow."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] "We've had a good morning generally; it's not quite where we want to be but fourth is good and we've had some good split times. The conditions on the roads were so tricky though. There's no ice or rain around, but the surface is covered in a slime and is really slippery. The top three guys have obviously got a good feeling and they're going away on their own, but we're in a good battle with Duval and Petter is right behind. Francois is quick so we'll have to push hard, but we gained some time on him in the last two stages."
Francois Duval [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT]:
"The car is feeling much better today with the tyres, brakes and also the pacenotes. The feeling I have is good so today has been very productive and you can see this with my second fastest stage time. I enjoyed the stages today and things in the car are working well. The changes we made to the car last night helped a lot today."
