Strong start for Colin McRae.

Ford Rallye Sport drivers Colin McRae and Nicky Grist maintained their strong start to this opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship by holding third in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car.

The 33-year-old Scot was third fastest on both the repeat of the 28.75km Selonnet - Turriers and the 36.73km test from Sisteron to Thoard.

The mountain roads in the French Alps, although clear of snow except for a few kilometres at the summit of the Col de Fontbelle in the Sisteron stage, contained a few icy patches to catch the unwary. McRae chose medium compound Pirelli tyres, a harder compound than his morning selection, and found them ideal for the conditions.

However, even he was briefly caught out. "About 5km after the start of Sisteron it was very icy and we slid into a ditch. We avoided the wall on the other side of the ditch but lost a few seconds," said McRae, who also stalled his engine at the start of the previous test. "Conditions are fairly consistent and it's easier when it's like that."

Team-mates Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya are sixth in their Focus RS, despite a power steering problem. "We lost power steering about 12km into the third stage and I could hardly move the steering wheel," said Sainz. "We stopped after the finish to fill the system with oil but it made no difference and we tackled Sisteron like that. I couldn't slide the car into corners but we didn't lose so much time," said Sainz, whose car was fitted with a new power-steering pump, steering rack and sump guard in service.

Markko Martin and Michael Park lie 14th on their Ford debut. "I'm a little unhappy with the suspension so we're going to try the same settings as Carlos to see how that feels," said Martin. "Although the car felt more difficult to drive this afternoon than this morning, I feel more confident and I'm driving faster as I get used to it."

Freddy Loix (Hyundai) was taken to hospital with a suspected broken foot after crashing shortly after the start of Selonnet - Turriers while team-mate Armin Schwarz retired after hitting a rock and breaking his car's front right suspension.