Monte Carlo Rallye 2006: Subaru World Rally Team
Both Stéphane Sarrazin and Chris Atkinson had a trouble-free run through Leg two of Rallye Monte Carlo to end the day in fifth and sixth respectively.
All of the day`s five run stages were won by Sébastien Loeb, but Sarrazin was the closest challenger when the Subaru driver finished just two seconds behind him in SS8. Sarrazin finished every stage in the top ten to move from seventh to fifth, with his team-mate Atkinson in sixth. Subaru`s youngest driver continued his aim of gaining more experience on asphalt, often matching the pace of more experienced drivers.

Stephane Sarrazin
“We did some good times and I`m very happy with the car, it feels very strong. Today our tyre choice was spot on, so it`s a good average. I`m sure a lot is down to confidence, all the time I`m learning more about the new car with the mechanical diffs and so on and I have had to adapt my driving style to cope. Of course for tomorrow I will try to catch up the cars ahead but I`ll try to push without going crazy – something like the level I was pushing at today.”

Chris Atkinson
“It`s been quite a challenge for us today. We knew we would drop a few places anyway but we`ve lost a bit more time than we wanted. We had a few slow spins in the morning and then this afternoon we were massively too cautious on the Turini stage. I`ve never done that stage before and everyone was warning us about how tricky it was. In the end I took it too carefully and threw away some time. Tomorrow I think we can go at a much faster pace than we did today, that`s for sure, but we still want to finish the rally, that`s the main thing.”

David Lapworth, SWRT Performance Director
“Both of our drivers have had a good day. We`ve had some more classic Monte Carlo conditions and that means you have some stages to which the tyres are perfectly suited and you get good times, and some others where the opposite is true. You just have to hope that overall you chose the best compromise. Sté phane set some very impressive times today, especially on the snow - not bad for someone who has gained most of his experience on race tracks! Chris is learning all the time. Although he might feel he`s being over cautious, from the team`s point of view it`s much better that he learned that he drove a little bit too slowly, than to learn that he went just a little bit too fast…”

The third and final Leg of Rallye Monte Carlo comprises six stages covering 116.30 competitive kilometres to the north of the Principality. Crews will run two loops of three stages separated by a mid-morning service in Monte Carlo. The Leg will include a further two passes though La Bollene Vesubie – Sospel with its famous Col de Turini section before the official finish in front of the palace at 1525.

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