[Speaking in the mid-day service] "I can tell you, it's easier when you can see the road ahead of you! Now the fog has lifted, it's a completely different rally and I believe I drove better. I feel more confident and also more and more at home on these stages which are still very slippery. They don't encourage you to take risks but they are more in keeping with what I was hoping for."


Chris Atkinson [Subaru WRT]:

“Today has not been so easy for us. The car was better in the afternoon after we made some changes but it has not been easy in these conditions. We found more pace this afternoon and I took a few more risks to try and put a gap to Matthew because he's doing some good times. The main thing for us now is to make sure we get to the finish and get some good points.”

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “The first stage of the loop (SS7) was okay for us. I was driving comfortably - not going crazy – but keeping a good pace. But on the second and third stages we struggled. On SS8 we had a lot of understeer, and on the next one we had snap oversteer and damping problems too, so all we could do was try to get the car through in one piece. The engineers will have a look at the car in service and hopefully they will come up with a solution for the repeat passes.”


Matthew Wilson [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]:

“I'm really pleased with how today has gone and it has been a great battle between Chris [Atkinson] and myself all day. We have had no big mistakes all day and it has just had a nice rhythm to it. We lost a little bit of time on the last stage as one of the lights began to flicker but apart from that the car has been perfect. We still need to tidy up on the slower stuff but ok it has gone pretty well and it's lots of fun out there. Generally the feeling is very good, the car is working well and the confidence is high as a result. The road surface has also been more consistent today which has helped. I think the gap to Chris is still close enough to challenge tomorrow but they are two tricky stages, especially if it is wet, so we will have to wait and see what happens in the morning.”

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “We are really happy with the pace we're setting this morning and it is all going really well especially in the fast stuff. We had one big moment on the last stage when I ended up in a big, big slide wide on the road but it ended up OK. I think we are being a bit too ambitious in the slow stuff so I will try and tidy that up a bit this afternoon. We had a couple of moments on the last stage where I think the notes were perhaps a bit too optimistic.”


Manfred Stohl [OMV Kronos Citroen WRT]:

"It is a bit frustrating since last year we fought for victory. This year we're competing for eighth place. Somehow I expected more. But that probably was wishful thinking. If one takes a look at our results this season then we are right at where were at during the last 15 rallies."

"It is really good to be in the top 8 – we are driving to stay there."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "There's no problems. It's important for me to finish the rally to be able to say good things about next year."


Xavier Pons [Subaru WRT]:

“We got off to a good start today and I was feeling more comfortable in the car, but an accident on SS8 meant we couldn't push hard and instead had to concentrate on getting the car back to service. With the car back to full strength in the afternoon I felt confident to push harder and the times improved as the day went on, but SS12 was hard when I couldn't clean the screen. Tomorrow the roads are very different, but I hope we can continue this better feeling.”

[Speaking in the mid-day service] “Okay, the first stage was not bad. But on the second one (SS8) we locked up under braking into a right hand corner and the car slid sideways into a concrete kerb. Something broke in the rear of the car, the wheels were out of alignment and from then on we had to take it slowly. But this morning the feeling is a little better than yesterday. We softened the car a bit, and that reduced the oversteer, so it's feeling not bad.”


Mads Ostberg [Adapta Subaru Impreza WRC]:

"We had a difficult start this morning with our pace but have improved this afternoon."

[Speaking in the mid-day service] "We're struggling a little to be honest. The problem is more with us than the car."


Jan Kopecky [Czech RT Skoda Fabia WRC]:

"Really good day today and we are hoping for good things tomorrow."


Jari-Matti Latvala [Stobart M-Sport Ford WRT]:

“It has been a great feeling today. The car has done everything it is designed to do and the tyres were perfect so I can't ask for much more. It is disappointing about yesterday but these things happen and it is good to get back out today and important to get a good balance with the car for future events. It was definitely an advantage being third on the road here as the grip levels were good and the road conditions more pleasant. I have just been very relaxed today and had no big moments as I have had no reason to push hard so to produce these times is a great feeling. I will try and keep the same feeling tomorrow and see if we can keep it going.”


Luis Perez Companc [Munchi's Ford WRT]:

[Speaking after SS12] "I really enjoyed that stage, it was fantastic to drive with the light pods on!"