Conrad Rautenbach [PH Sport-Citroen C4 WRC]: [retired from day 1 after SS8 - clutch - will re-start on day 2 under SupeRally]
"That's so frustrating! To get through all of the day's stages, but then not to be able to get back to service is such bad news. The morning was tough, but we didn't have any major problems. On the second stage, I tried to shut my door, but it wouldn't close properly. This was 10 seconds before we were due to start the stage, so in the end, I just closed it as best I could and got on with it. Unfortunately, this meant I hadn't put the car into launch mode for the start and it was playing on my mind a little bit, wondering if the door was going to fly open on the first corner. After that, it was just the changing grip level which caught my attention. I was quite surprised, I thought it would be more constant, but we were finding good grip in the braking area, but as soon as I turned into the corner it was loose again. I lost about 10 seconds with the spin in stage four. The car started to slide and I thought it was going to be set-up nicely for the corner, but as soon as I leaned on the car in the corner, the back came around.
"The afternoon was really tough, though. There were a lot more rocks out in the road second time around and with the damper broken, it was hard work for the car. The problem with the clutch didn't come until the end of the stage (SS8). We'd completed the stage and then tried to drive off up the road, but there was nothing [from the clutch]. There was a steep uphill section straight after the stage, so there was no chance of us getting up there. It's so frustrating, but we'll get the car sorted tonight and make another start tomorrow."
Team principals:
Olivier Quesnel [Citroen Total WRT - team principal]:
"With three C4 WRCs inside the top ten, including two in first and second places, we could hardly have wished for a better start to the weekend. Both crews and everyone at Citroën Sport did a perfect job today. Dani and Marc succeeded in taking full advantage of their road order this morning and they then matched the times of the others this afternoon. They deserve to be leading also because it is the first time they occupy the first position of the leaderboard on a gravel event. Sébastien and Daniel had to cope with the opposite scenario: after a difficult start because of all the loose gravel they were forced to sweep aside, they recovered superbly second time through to put us in first and second places tonight. Even so, we can't afford to get carried away. Anything can still happen, the gaps are small and the conditions promise to be complex again tomorrow."
David Richards [Subaru WRT - managing director]:
"We have seen today that Jordan is a worthy addition to the WRC calendar. Petter’s retirement is very disappointing, especially given his form in the opening stages, but we must now aim to salvage Manufacturers’ points in the next two days. Chris again demonstrated his maturity with a measured drive and this has been rewarded with a strong fifth place to take into tomorrow."
Malcolm Wilson [Stobart VK M-Sport Ford WRT - team boss]:
"It has been a very encouraging performance by Matthew today and he has driven well in this new event which has provided competitors with some challenging stages. He has punched in some good times and preserved both the tyres and his car and both he and Henning are comfortably in the points. It’s a shame about Gigi’s problem but he will be back out again tomorrow and he knows how important it is to get the experience of these stages and conditions."
Paul Wilding [Suzuki WRT - team manager]:
"Toni's problem was unfortunate. It's very unlucky for the rock to hit precisely the wrong part of the bottom of the car and to cause a problem like this. But this has happened to Toni and cost him and the team dearly. We all feel for Toni and Tomi - they had made good times on the first two stages. This is the drivers' first time on this event, it's not like they have many years of pace notes to start with as a reference. Instead they made notes for the first time. P-G seems to have been caught out by the difference in the recce and rally speed and the unknown factor of what the surface could do. Many of the other drivers have returned to the service park with similar stories. I think it's just unfortunate that P-G has been caught out by this, and both P-G and the team have paid a heavy price. His SX4 WRC was undamaged in the incident and is running perfectly, so he will be ready to re-start tomorrow."
