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Rally reactions: Rallye Monte Carlo - Day 3 |
Sebastien Loeb [Citroen Total WRT]:
"I really like the atmosphere on this rally. The spectators are exceptional. I will start managing my lead now but I am not in the most comfortable situation. However I am better off in my shoes rather than in Mikko's! Today's bad news was Dani's retirement because it has a negative impact on our result for the manufacturers' championship."
"This afternoon, I drove especially carefully on Saint Bonnet which was still damp. I'm glad the northern stages of this year's Monte Carlo Rally are behind us. We now head south for the last five tests which could still cause an upset or two."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “As the sun came up, there were still patches of ice about. SS9 was a tricky stage and I did not take any risks. It was very foggy at the start of the next test. It's tough to loosen up completely when the conditions are like that. The first two stages kept us on our toes but the morning's last test was more straightforward and we tried to push hard in order to get a clearer picture of the way the Pirelli PZero tyre reacts on this sort of terrain. I feel great in the car, and I get a lot of pleasure."
Mikko Hirvonen [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]:
"When I woke up this morning I was hoping that I could take second, but I didn't think it would happen like that. Dani's retirement really helped me and I want to keep this position now because the two extra points for second would be good. I hoped to be closer to Loeb's pace but that wasn't possible here. I was happy with Pirelli's tyres, they worked well in the cold, dry conditions. There are still four more stages to come tomorrow so I will try to keep the car on the road and take no risks because I have a good lead over Atkinson in third. I don't have huge experience of tomorrow's stages and I can expect anything on the Col de Turini. There is usually snow, ice or fog at the top and it is dry then black ice will be a concern, so it will be a tricky day,"
Chris Atkinson [Subaru WRT]:
"We were pushing today, and it was so tough! It's a bigger gap than I had here last year but the adrenaline and pressure is just the same. Some say that SS10 is the most dangerous stage as it's so fast and flowing, but I love it. I won the stage last year and on the second pass today I was pushing to increase the gap over Duval. I had a good feeling through there, but I was still buzzing half an hour afterwards. It's great to be in third, but we have some difficult stages tomorrow, especially the Col de Turini. It's a stage that can be dry until you start and then spectators put snow on the road which just makes it so hard to know what to expect going into each corner. Duval knows it a little better than I do, so it's going to be a challenge but for sure I want third and we'll be pushing hard to the end."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “For sure it's good to be in third, but today showed how unpredictable this event can be. We've had good pace this morning, although I could have pushed a little harder in places, but there's still a long way to go and a lot of stages left. Duval will be fast this afternoon so we must keep pushing to stay ahead. It won't be easy but we've been in front of him all rally so far. We'll make some changes to the car during service as I was lacking some grip in the last stage, and we'll try to increase the gap again this afternoon.”
Francois Duval [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT]:
"Today has went well and my feeling of the car has improved a lot and the slower stages feel really good; I think we can still improve on the fast sections. We are getting more used to the car every stage but I still think we need to be careful tomorrow. The gap ahead to Atkinson is too much for me to catch as the conditions on the stages tomorrow are likely to be tricky, especially if you are pushing."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We had some good times this morning especially on the last stage so things are getting better. The feeling can still get better with the car and we will make some small changes in service to try and help this. There is still more to come. I'm happy with my progress this morning.”
Petter Solberg [Subaru WRT]:
"Today has been pretty good for us again and we are in a good position. The roads started very slippery this morning but became more grippy this afternoon. It was tricky to get the balance of the car right and we changed a few things in the middle of the day, but I am happy with fifth and we will keep trying and see what we can do tomorrow. We've been pushing hard but it's so easy to make a mistake when the roads are this narrow and fast you have to be at 110 per cent. I'm looking forward to tackling the Col de Turini tomorrow, but we can expect a tough day. It's so tricky, anything can happen."
