Sardinia : After SS 3 - QuotesThe crews returned to the Olbia service area after completing the first three stages this morning. We get some comments from the drivers after SS3.
Marcus Gronholm (Focus)
I hit a bush with the front left of the car and a branch
tied on the bonnet everything else is fine. I'm of course satisfied with what we've done this morning. We are in the lead. So far so good.
Mikko Hirvonen (Focus)
It's a pity I could have done better. I'm satisfied with my placing so far, but not with my feeling with the car. I had some problems with the engine in the last stage, we hope it won't be serious.
Gigi Galli (307)
I'm annoyed because in the first stage I lost quite a few seconds because I wanted to avoid a rock. Then I attacked and I have to say the times now are better. I hope I can do better in the second part.
Sebastien Loeb (Xsara)
It looks like Marcus, who is starting just behind me in the orders, is going flat out. It's surprising that he didn't suffer too much from the conditions. On that loop we had the same tyres, but on stage 1, I think I didn't start at the right pace. The stage was bumpier than I expected. After the finish, I've changed the dampers settings, and even if it's fine now, I didn't manage to reverse the trend afterwards. On the second loop, I'm curious to see what kind of terrain we will find.
Clean or still dirty after the passage of the Group N and S1600 cars which aren't driving in the same lines as us.
Dani Sordo (Xsara)
I have a good feeling with the car, just some understeering which we'll try to get rid off. Maybe it comes from the road conditions. It's really hot in the car. I also made a few clicks to fine tune my suspension before the third stage but it didn't go in the right direction. However I enjoyed a lot the final section of that stage as it is very narrow and fast.
Xavier Pons (Xsara)
I don't have a good feeling with the car and these roads do not suit me.
Petter Solberg (Impreza)
It's okay but it's very hot and I think we should have chosen a harder compound tyre. On the first one we had a big spin on a very narrow section, we weren't going so fast but I thought I might get stuck completely. We had to stop and reverse many times to get back on the road. The second stage was okay but we lost a lot of time from the asphalt section to the finish. The last one was looking good up to the half way point but from then on we lost time with our soft compound tyre.
Kristian Sohlberg (Lancer)
"I went off the road on stage 1 and lost some time but everything is ok with the car. I'm happy with the Pirelli tyres which performed really well but I chose the wrong compound. They were ok for the first 2 stages but I had some difficulty driving the car on the last 10 kms of stage 3."
Chris Atkinson (Impreza)
It's been pretty good really. We went out at a pace and didn't change anything for the three stages. Some people went up and down with their speed but we were consistent. To be in sixth is okay, we're not really that far behind third. This afternoon I think it's going to be pretty tough on the repeats. The stages will be swept a bit but there will be a lot of rocks about - the most important thing will be to stay on the right line.
Manfred Stohl (307 WRC)
I don't understand what is wrong.
Francois Duval (Fabia)
I have engine and traction problems.
Harri Rovanpera (Fabia)
A few problems we have to sort out mainly regarding the handiness of the car.
HG CAPSIS International
