Katajamaki rolls out, car no good for Greece.

Stobart VK's second nominated driver, Kosti Katajamaki crashed out on the Rally d'Italia Sardegna on Saturday, while on course to take a solid top ten finish, on his second event with Ford's unofficial 'B' team.

The incident occurred on SS10, when the Finn didn't hear a pace note and rolled his car twice, hitting a tree in the process.

Although he and co-driver, Timo Alanne were unhurt, their Focus was badly damaged and will not be suitable for use on the next event in Greece.

"I hit a rock in the Saturday morning but everything was okay although the engine stopped and took eight seconds to restart. It was more slippery than I expected, I went a little bit too wide and hit the rock in the morning. I was hoping it would be a little bit cleaner the second time through, but I didn't hear a pace note and that was my rally over," he noted.

Luis Perez Companc in the third Stobart Focus, not registered for manufacturer points for this event, meanwhile enjoyed a steady run through the three days and in contrast to his team-mates, Katajamaki and Matthew Wilson had no real problems. He ended the event in 12th place in the overall standings.

"It was a very tough rally. I didn't think it was going to be so tough," reflected Companc. "When we did the pace notes with the recce car it seemed like nice roads with some parts fast and some parts twisty, but nice roads. But then in the rally car it was all change. The first day was very tough for me, the second day on the second leg was very good and I felt very comfortable with the car and the times were good. On the third day I just kept the car in one piece. It was a good rally for me."