News From P-G Andersson
P-G Andersson (1st in JWRC after SS8): "I felt comfortable with the car straight away. The biggest problem I had was losing studs off my tyres on SS3 - which was a repeat of SS1. There was a lot of loose gravel and that ripped out many of the studs, making the car slide all over the place. I expected Urmo to be my biggest challenger so now that he has lost time a little of the pressure is off, although I cannot afford to lose any concentration. We've had no problems at all with the car today and I've been trying to drive safely within my limits. The stages have been really good fun."

News from Urmo Aava
Urmo Aava (retired SS6, accident damage): "It's very disappointing to retire, although I hope to be back under the super rally system tomorrow and I still have a good chance of scoring points. I was reasonably happy with my speed today but I was not completely satisfied with my pace notes. I only had about 98% confidence, and I think the missing 2% is what made the difference between me and P-G today. The tree stump we hit was hidden in the snow on the inside of a corner, so we had no chance to see it. Now we just have to treat tomorrow as another day."

News from Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima, team principal
"Many congratulations to P-G, who has driven a fast but sensible rally so far, on a surface where he is an expert. It is a pity that Urmo could not finish the day, but at least he has proved again that he has the speed to run at the front. There is still a long way to go, so our drivers need to remain careful and concentrated..."