Suzuki's Toni Gardmeister remains on course to score points in Sweden, even though a minor off in SS11 was turned into a big problem thanks to the 'help' of some spectators.
Gardemeister went into Vargasen 1 in seventh overall, but he slid off the road just a kilometre into the stage. Several spectators came to his aid but rather than help extract the car, the fans accidentally pushed him further into the ditch. By the time the Finn got going again he had lost three minutes and dropped to tenth place, a minute off P8.
Toni fought back in afternoon though and while he was still hindered slightly by hydraulic problems, he finished the day on course for the final drivers' point and three manufacturers' points.
"When we went off it was like nothing I have ever experienced before in my rally career," he reflected. "Instead of helping us the spectators accidentally made the situation worse! Otherwise, we could have been out of there in 10 or 15 seconds.
"It's been a very tough day again, but I'm sure we can score some points so that will definitely be our aim tomorrow.
"It's going to be impossible to catch the car in front so we just need to concentrate on staying out of trouble and not make any mistakes."
Suzuki team boss, Nobuhiro Tajima meanwhile has now urged Toni and his team to stay focused in order to ensure they score.
"The Swedish Rally has not got any easier for us, but we have a points finish within our grasp, which would be a fantastic way to end what is only the second rally of our first full season. Before we can even think about that we have to get through the final day tomorrow, which will almost be as long as today when you take into account the stage that has been cancelled," he added.
"Toni, as well as the rest of the team, needs to focus on keeping concentrated and doing the best job possible in these tricky circumstances."
For the record, Per-Gunnar Andersson was forced to watch from the sidelines on day 2, having retired the sister SX4 WRC car with a head gasket problem on Friday in SS4.
