Monte Carlo Rallye 2006: Subaru World Rally Team - Leg 1The opening Leg of Rallye Monte Carlo brought mixed fortunes for the Subaru World Rally Team. Making a remarkable Monte Carlo debut, Chris Atkinson finished the day second overall after a trouble free run through the twisty asphalt stages.
The young Australian recorded three top-five stage times. Petter Solberg struggled with a poor tyre choice on the morning`s icy roads but turned things around in the afternoon and recorded the second fastest time on the final stage of the day. But soon after disaster struck when Solberg`s engine developed an oil leak on the road section back to service, forty seven kilometres from his destination his car came to a halt and he retired.
Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin also struggled on slick tyres in the morning, but fought back to secure the second fastest time in SS5. He will start Leg two in seventh place overall.
Petter Solberg
“I still can`t really believe it. We were cruising home after the stage and it just happened. We stopped and tried to fix it but there was nothing we could do. The oil had leaked out and we had no chance. Up to then the rally had been getting better and better for us. We didn`t start well - in fact I don`t think our tyre choice could have been any worse - but the afternoon was good, and our pace on the final stage was very encouraging. It`s incredible really; it seems I have no luck here in Monte Carlo. It must change soon.”
Stephane Sarrazin
“This morning was extremely difficult. There was so much ice and snow on the ground that it was impossible to do much with the slick tyres that we`d chosen. To be honest, I`m still feeling quite lucky to be in the rally, it was so easy to make a big mistake. The second loop this afternoon was much better, I`m feeling good about the car and my driving and I`m very much looking forward to a big fight tomorrow.”
Chris Atkinson
“Obviously I`m very happy; it`s been a good day for Glenn and me. We` ve stuck exactly to our pre-event plan, haven`t taken any risks and have ended up in second place overall. In fact, I think that`s the only thing that we weren`t really planning for. The stages today have been very interesting and a tough challenge. We haven`t been going slowly but we haven` t been taking risks either. We`ve just driven sensibly, on safe tyres and the results have been incidental. We learned a lot on the asphalt rallies last year and we put it to good use. Our plan for tomorrow is to keep it consistent, just carry on doing what we`ve done today and see where it gets us. I`m looking forward to it.”
David Lapworth, SWRT Performance Director
“Clearly we`re very disappointed that Petter`s day has come to an end in this way. I suppose in many ways it has been a classic Monte Carlo day. We`ve had stage cancellations, difficult road conditions and dramatic time differences according to tyre choice. The field was 50/50 split on tyre choice this morning, with the more conservative guys coming out ahead; things were much closer this afternoon with everyone on similar tyres. Chris has had a fantastic day for a first timer. He`s finished the Leg in second place, despite sticking to the plan to be conservative in both his tyre choices and his driving style. Stéphane was one of those who lost the tyre gamble on the first loop but he`s kept a cool head and is still well placed for a good result. Like Stéphane, Petter lost out on the first two stages but he actually drove very well, got some time back in the afternoon and was on target to achieve a podium result until the oil leak.”
Leg two of Rallye Monte Carlo comprises six special stages and a total of 131.69 competitive kilometres to the west and north of Monaco close to the Var river. The Leg features two loops of three stages, including two repeated tests and the first run through the famous Col de Turini. Cars will leave parc fermé from 0600 before an overnight stop at 1856.
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