Martin Prokop [Citroen C2 S1600 - JWRC]: [retired from day 1 in SS4 - broken engine sensor - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]
"We just got caught out on the first stage and so we rolled three times. The car was on its roof and it took us a while to get it back on its wheels as there were no spectators around to help. There was quite a lot of damage to the bodywork, the left-rear window was broken and the interior of the car was covered in dust. Luckily we were able to get through the next two stages and reach the service park. Unfortunately, we had to retire in SS4 at the start of the second loop with a broken engine sensor. We plan to re-start tomorrow morning under the SupeRally system though."
Team principals:
Olivier Quesnel [Citroen Total WRT - team principal]:
"It's been a bit of a mixed day. The first day turned out to be very difficult, as we can see by the high number of retirements. They weren't entirely happy with the set-up of their Citroën C4, but Sébastien and Daniel did a superb job in limiting the damage. They are in a strong position to retaliate tomorrow and Sunday, while Dani and Marc will also line up for the start in the morning in a bid to pick up some extra Manufacturers' points."
[Speaking in service A] "After our misadventure with the engine of Sébastien and Daniel [Elena] yesterday, today's blow took a little time to sink in. Even so, everyone at Citroën Sport soon snapped back into action to get Dani and Marc [Marti] back running [and ready to re-start on day 2 under the SupeRally]. Meanwhile, Sébastien and Daniel claimed the fastest time on SS2 and SS3 to move closer to top spot and that was an excellent boost for everyone's morale; there was still plenty of fight left in us!"
David Richards [Subaru WRT - managing director]:
"We’ve again shown that we have the pace to win stages on this event, and despite some problems this morning Chris is on the podium and Petter is close enough to have his sights set on the top three. It has been a hard day for the cars and drivers, and it is encouraging to see that Pirelli’s new gravel tyre has worked very well in what have been very tough conditions."
Malcolm Wilson [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT - team boss]:
"I have been very impressed with Matthew today. His times this morning were quick and he is showing a lot more improvement compared to last year. Hopefully he can keep this pace for the rest of the event as he is currently looking good for a points finish. It has been a disappointing day for Gigi and I am a bit disappointed that his great start to the season has taken a knock. Sadly he can’t continue tomorrow under SupeRally rules and gain further experience on gravel ahead of Rally Argentina. Tomorrow will be a difficult day and today we have already seen several casualties amongst the top running competitors."
Nobuhiro Tajima [Suzuki WRT - team boss]:
"I feel so very sorry for both of our drivers, especially Toni who was starting his 100th WRC rally here. This was an incredibly disappointing experience for all of us. As was the case in Monte Carlo and Sweden, we have been stopped by an engine problem and we suspect that it is for a similar reason, although we will only know for sure once we fully examine the cars. It's clear that we have an issue with the engines, but under the current engine linking regulations we are not permitted to change the engine during or in between the rallies to try and understand the problem. As a new team we want to and we need to improve: but sometimes this is not easy when the rules are not in your favour as a newcomer. It was always going to be tough for us here. Toni did not really have a chance today, but until his retirement P-G was again doing a fantastic job for us. The potential is still very much there and we all have confidence that we will bounce back from this disappointment."
