Monte Carlo Rally 2006: Subaru World Rally Team - Finish
The Subaru World Rally Team had a successful end to the first rally of the season. Stephane Sarrazin finished the rally in fifth position, scoring valuable manufacturer points on the Subaru Impreza WRC2006s debut.
Stephane finished three stages in the top three and was just one second from claiming a first stage win on SS17.
Chris Atkinson claimed sixth place after a remarkable Monte Carlo rally debut. The Australian matched the pace of more experienced asphalt drivers throughout the Leg and consistently improved his times on the second passes through stages.

Stephane Sarrazin
“I`m very pleased that we`ve finished in the points on the first round of the championship and with a new car. It`s good for me and for the team. Mechanically we`ve had no problems at all, but we were caught out by the weather on Friday and that cost us a lot of time. But it`s a part of the game, this time we lost but next time we might win. It`s been a very difficult rally, the grip is variable and driving in snow on slick tyres isn`t easy, but I showed I can fight with the top drivers in these conditions and that`s good for my confidence. In performance terms the car is a big step forward already and before Corsica and Catalunya I will test a lot so I should be very familiar with it by then.”

Chris Atkinson
“We`re ecstatic really. When you look at it, coming to our first Monte Carlo, to finish in the top six and to have such a good result all weekend is fantastic. Glenn and I drove exactly according to our pre event plan, we learned a lot and we`ll head to Sweden in a very positive frame of mind. Sweden was our first event with the team last year and we showed some good speed. The conditions suit me a bit better than the ones here and I`m looking forward to going back.”

David Lapworth, SWRT Performance Director
“I`m very pleased for Stephane and pleased with his result. Particularly impressive has been his pace in the slippery conditions. With his racing background it`s almost expected that he goes well on asphalt stages but on this rally the conditions have been extremely difficult and some of his most impressive times have been on slick tyres in snow. I`m sure this experience will give him confidence going into Corsica and Spain. Chris has had a fantastic weekend too. To finish in the top six on his first Monte Carlo is a major achievement and he`s done it at a very respectable pace. The hardest thing for a driver with Chris`s talent is to drive with sufficient caution to not be caught out by the treacherous conditions. He`s driven a very mature rally. He starts every other rally this year with prior experience and if he can combine this level of control with the speed that he showed last year it won`t be long before he`s fighting for rally wins.”

In just over one week the FIA World Rally Championship will travel north to Scandinavia for the only snow event on the calendar; the Swedish Rally. Despite the snow and ice, crews will be going just as fast as ever thanks to special slim, studded tyres that grip the hard-packed base beneath the top snow covering. Snow banks, exposed gravel and ice patches can however catch drivers out so it` s only the bravest who have won in Sweden.

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