[Speaking in the mid-day service] "When it's dry my confidence is really high but in the wet I am still learning to manage these new tyres as it is becoming very slippery. We hit a rock on the first stage and I thought we might have got a puncture but luckily we finished the stage OK. The car feels really good and the times got better as the morning went on so we will see how we get on this afternoon."


Toni Gardemeister [Suzuki WRT]:

"We had a few issues today but nothing major: it's already clear that we have a lot of potential so I'm happy and I know where we can improve. I'm actually surprised by how quick we have been already when things are working well. There's a very long way still to go on this rally, so tonight we will get the car back to perfect order and see what we can do: tomorrow's stages are very nice."





Notable retirements:

Khalid Al Qassimi [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]: [retired from day 2 in SS6 – went off the road]

"This afternoon we were trying some different tactics and we had ninth in front of us and were chasing that position. We were doing well in the stage, if you look at the split times and ninth place looked achievable. Then, as we approached the flying finish of the stage, the final corner had gravel across it and the car simply broke away from me. We hit a rock by the side of the road and it took the left front suspension corner off the car. It's a shame but any driver in that situation would push to gain a place. However, something like this can happen at any time and it's all part of the learning process. As long as the car is repairable, we will try some new techniques tomorrow, to try to get closer to the pace of the other drivers."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "The roads were damp, which made it slippery. Drivers ahead of us are cutting the corners and that drags dirt onto the roads. I still need to learn how Pirelli's tyres work and where the grip is because the grip level changes with every corner."





Team principals:

Olivier Quesnel [Citroen Total WRT - team principal]:

"Both Citroën Sport crews came through today's stages in the Ardèche Mountains very well. There were plenty of potential pitfalls, but Sébastien and Daniel superbly defended their lead and even managed to increase their cushion at the top. Dani and Marc also got off to a first class start but were then slowed by a minor technical problem. They succeeded in limiting the damage, however, and are still second this evening. Both our cars have been on the provisional podium since the start of the rally but we continue to be wary because there are still two long legs to come."


Malcolm Wilson [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT - team director]:

"It was a much better day for Mikko and he has reduced the gap to Dani Sordo in second. I'm pleased Jari-Matti is in the points and if he continues at the same pace, I'm sure he can climb higher. It's disappointing for Khalid because this was his best performance on a WRC event."


David Richards [Subaru WRT – team principal]:

"With a solid and reliable performance today we are on target for both cars in the top five. Although tomorrow is the longest day of the event, Monte Carlo has a sting in the tail with five stages on Sunday without a full service."


Malcolm Wilson [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT - team boss]:

"It has been a solid second day for the team and really there have been no major problems, except Gigi's small issue with the power steering. But he still managed to maintain his overall position and stay within the points. We have still kept our overnight positions with both nominated crews in the points which is very promising. The road conditions have been better here than we all expected and it has made things easier for our guys; especially as it's their first event in the car."


Osamu Honda [Suzuki senior managing executive officer]:

"At what is still the start of our first event, we are finally living our dream in one of the toughest forms of motor sport. Competition is in Suzuki's DNA, from motorbikes to cars. We are finding out of course that the top category of the World Rally Championship is extremely challenging, but competition like this is the best way for us to express our deep passion for our cars. Like the slogan says, for us it is a Way of Life!"


Paul Hembery [Pirelli - motorsport director]:

"So far we've seen our tyres set some excellent stage time and meet with the approval of all the key players in this 2008 Monte Carlo Rally. None of them have encountered even the slightest puncture, apart from those who made a driving mistake. There's still a long way to go of course, but here at Pirelli we're extremely satisfied with the results so far."