[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We have found things difficult this morning but it is a new rally and I just cant jump in and be very fast from the start. The surface is difficult and I need to build up my confidence here and then in turn build up my speed during the rally. We made quite a few changes to the pacenotes and hopefully this will also help with my confidence. The conditions are tricky and its easy to make a mistake so I will continue to concentrate and push harder when I can.”
Federico Villagra [Munchi’s Ford WRT]:
"It is difficult to find a proper line because the roads are all the same. It is very slippery and difficult to gain confidence too."
Khalid Al-Qassimi [BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT]:
"This hasn't been a good day for me. The back of the car caught fire at the end of stage six. The fire brigade had to put it out and although the next stage went OK, the flames were back at the end of stage eight."
[Speaking in the mid-day service] “It’s loose and slippery. As soon as I push for more pace I’m losing traction and it's difficult to control the car. There are many blind corners with huge rocks and it’s the same with the crests. The cars before me must have been digging up the rocks because they are in the middle of the road."
Barry Clark [Munchi’s Ford WRT]:
"It was difficult out there today as we were working from someone else's notes and Jose [Diaz, co-driver] was having to translate them from Spanish into English as we went. The surface was tricky too and it was very hot out there. I’m just taking it easy though and trying to do a professional job as there’s no pressure on me. The Ford Focus is an awesome machine and has been working perfectly from the start, so it’s been really good fun and invaluable experience for me in the car ahead of my next rally in Turkey."
Notable retirements:
Per-Gunnar Andersson [Suzuki WRT]: [retired from day 1 in SS1 - went off the road and was unable to rejoin - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]
