Groholm continues to lead
Weather conditions: - 8 degrees. The sun is coming through and the sky is clearing up
3 MARCUS GRÖNHOLM The corners were not as fast as last year. Last year I could go flat out everywhere. This year I came to some corners and said “oh, it is not so fast”. That stage was great fun to drive.
1 SÉBASTIEN LOEB We took the lamp hood off at the end of the first stage and we did not close the bonnet completely and it came up on the road section and we had to stop and close it. Comment: The bonnet and the wind screen were damaged.
6 CHRIS ATKINSON After the problems we hade on the first stage I tried to be consistent and keep to the strategy.
4 MIKKO HIRVONEN I am happy to have finished the stage. I have made all the mistakes you possibly can make.
21 DANIEL SORDO This is my first time on snow and ice and it is difficult to judge the breaking distances and to know where the best grip is.
2 XAVIER PONS Everything is going ok and we have no problems.
17 JAN KOPECKÝ I have to find some more speed but I am sure I can do this.
11 ANDREAS AIGNER I think I may have had a jump start on this stage. It was a long stage but it was fun.
9 MATTHEW WILSON Comment: Stalled the engine in the last corner of the stage.
14 GIGI GALLI The second stage was much better than the first.
8 HENNING SOLBERG I could not see because of the bright sunshine. I had to push myself up from the seat to keep the sun out of the eyes.
5 PETTER SOLBERG Mills: The broken rear drive shaft has left us with only front wheel drive.
63 DANIEL CARLSSON The only problem is that I am not used to the manual shifting but it is no problem.
10 KOSTI KATAJAMÄKI Lots of problems on the stage. Went off and probably hit a rock so something is broken.
16 THOMAS RÅDSTRÖM The last time I was in the WRC was in 2002 so the speed is a little slow in coming. But by the third day I will be very fast.
18 KRISTIAN SOHLBERG That was a very difficult stage. Sometimes there was grip and then there was no grip. You have to read the road very carefully.
20 THOMAS SCHIE We altered the differential mapping after the first stage. In the second stage the car was very difficult to turn in the slow corners. We hit a snow bank which turned the car around.
48 GUY WILKS The first two stages were fairly tricky. I think we were third fastest in the first stage, which is where we wanted to be. We do not want to take any risks and we can increase our speed if we want to.
35 P-G ANDERSSON This is a proper Swedish rally with good roads and snow banks. These young junior drivers are starting very quickly.Comment: Big smile.
49 MARTIN PROKOP The engine stopped in stage number 1 and it stopped again in stage number 2 for about a minute. I do not know what the problem is and there is no warning when engine is about to stop.
41 PATRIK SANDELL I went into a snow bank near the end of stage 2 and had to reverse to get out of the snow bank and lost a few seconds.
43 JAAN MÖLDER The gear change mechanism began to come loose in stage number one and in stage number two I could only get two gears. We have to be careful not to break the gearbox. Comment: He said, “ look”, and showed how loose the gear change was.
45 JOZEF BÉRESWe went off the road and it took one and a half minutes before we were going again.
61 MADS ÖSTERBERG We spun in the stage and the car stopped on top of a snow bank with two wheels in the ditch and two wheels in the air. There were only four people at this place but I knew them from the Rally of Norway so they worked very hard and dug us out of the snow and pushed us back on the road. I am here to learn this rally so it is not a problem loosing time in the stage. I have to learn not to get off the road.
62 ANDERS GRÖNDAL I went off the road on stage two and got stuck in a snow bank.
69 HANS-ERIK WENG We have broken something in the right front of the car.
40 STIG BLOMQVIST We have no tyre on the front right wheel.
66 RIKU TAHKO We stopped and changed a right front puncture in that stage.
67 OSCAR SVEDLUND We had a right front puncture in that stage. Comment: It would appear that there was a big rock on the inside of the corner and all three drivers have taken a very tight line through the corner and all three (No 40, 66 and 67) have punctured the front right tyre.
84 EYVIND BRYNILDSEN Comment: Came to the end of the stage with the hazard lights flashing. Something seems to be broken in the front suspension.
86 RICCARDO SCANDOLA This is my first rally on ice and snow. It is very very very good. Comment: The driver had a big smile on his face and.
90 LASSE STORM I caught up with car number 89 (comment: PER-ARNE STRAND) after 10 kilometres and followed him for some time before I could get by.
81 ALEXANDER VILLANUEVA The centre differential is broken.
92 ENDRE GRANUM The co driver: We went off the road on stage one, it was just after a crest which we took flat out but then there was a three left after the crest and we were too fast to take the corner. The car went onto its side but the spectators pushed us back on the road.
Comment: The front bumper is completely missing and there are some damage to the other panels as well.
