The tight and twisty gravel stages of Portugal are well-known as a classically technical challenge, and they were made even harder in the afternoon by the arrival of a few drops of rain. With the pace at the front so hectic, it was inevitable that there would be a number of high-profile victims.
The first major retirement was Anton Alen, who went out with a clutch failure on his Abarth Grande Punto just five kilometres into the opening stage. Team-mate Giandomenico Basso was also unlucky, ending day one in the top ten, but delayed by having to stop on one of the afternoon stages to clean a mixture of sand and condensation off the
inside of his windscreen.
Other retirements included Freddy Loix, who ran out of spare wheels on his Peugeot after encountering a series of punctures on the second run through the stages in the
afternoon, Manfred Stohl - was also the victim of a puncture, which may have been caused by a broken wheel - and Dani Sola, whose Abarth had an intermittent engine misfire. Portugal's Armindo Araujo was also out, having had a turbo fail on the second test.
The IRC 2WD Cup is currently led by Marco Cavigioli in a Fiat Grande Punto diesel, who is lying 20th overall.
“This is just an interim car for me as I will have a new car for the next round in Ypres, but it is interesting to drive and very definitely a good experience,” the Italian commented.
![Luca Rossetti (I) / Matteo Chiarcossi (I) Peugeot 207 S2000. Istanbul Rally. April 5 2008. [PIC CREDIT: IRC]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/424945.jpg)
