Rally reactions: Rally Italia Sardinia - Leg 2.

Sebastien Loeb [Citroen]:

"By the time it was my turn to tackle the stages they had obviously been swept clear. But they were also badly cut up with a lot of rocks thrown up by the first cars through. You really had to stay concentrated all the time. I pushed quite hard while trying to drive as cleanly as possible. This is the sort of event where you can end up losing time if you try too hard and you risk hitting trouble.

"Petter's pace in SS10 prompted me to push quite hard at the start of SS11. I didn't want to be caught out by a slow first split time. When I saw I was pulling clear, I continued at the same pace, although I took it easy over the roughest part."

Petter Solberg [Subaru]:

"Overall I think today has been a good day. We have had no major problems. I'm happy with my own performance, and when you look at how fast Sebastien is going, we have to be pleased with where we are. That's just how it is sometimes. I pushed as hard as I could, but clearly we have some work still to do. But still, this rally isn't over yet. With six more stages and no service tomorrow, a lot of things can happen. You can be sure I'll push as hard as I can right until the end."

Harri Rovanpera [Mitsubishi]:

"These two days have been the best of the season. I'm very happy and fighting hard like this is very nice. Marcus and Markko are pushing hard but we see what happens tomorrow; it's another long day. Today has been great and the car is better; the small changes we made from the test seem to be helping us in rougher conditions. The last stage was really good for me; I was pushing like crazy and we had one big moment off line, but if you keep pushing, keep the car in shape and can be lucky over the rocks, then you get a good time."

Marcus Gronholm [Peugeot]:

"It's been a good day, and I hope it will get even better tomorrow. I've had a good feeling with the car and the tyres, although these stages do not get any easier! The car has been entirely reliable and I have had enough confidence to push hard. In many ways this makes me regret my accident of yesterday: without that I think we could have been pushing for victory. But a podium finish is still a good result and that will be my aim."

Markko Martin [Peugeot]:

"I tried some new set-ups today which seemed to work well, by adjusting the shock absorbers and the ride height. I've learnt a lot about the car and they tyres today and the fight with Marcus is certainly looking interesting! The key to this rally has been staying out of trouble: so far we have managed to achieve that but we have to keep maximum concentration tomorrow."

Mark Higgins [Ford]:

"It's been a difficult day but we are still here and in a good position. I eased off on the final stage because I was concerned about tyre wear. Also Trevor's door came open with about 20km remaining and he had to hold it closed until the finish. The car filled with dust and he did really well to keep reading the pace notes in such circumstances."

Roman Kresta [Ford]:

"I drove carefully [this morning] because the roads were slippery. I was fifth in the start order and there was much more loose gravel on the roads than I experienced yesterday. I opted for Michelin's hard compound tyres with full cuts to combat the gravel. It was a safe choice, and it paid off because there was so much soft gravel that the grip wasn't good. We did a lot of sliding and it felt like driving on ice. It's easy to make a mistake in those conditions."

"The second pass through the stages [this afternoon] was better as the gravel had been swept clear. The roads were clean so grip was good. But the last stage was incredibly rough, with big ruts in the corners. I spent a long time trapped in the dust of Janne Tuohino who had spun off. Visibility was very bad and I couldn't see some corners at all until we were virtually in them."

Gigi Galli [Mitsubishi]:

"I am tired... quite tired today! But, despite our problems, I decided I was really going for it in the short stage - that one was ours before we even started it! I drove like mad because after a day like today I needed that. Winning was very satisfying and we continue to make more kilometres, so there is always something positive."

Notable retirements:

Francois Duval [Citroen]: [retired in SS5 - rolled]

"I turned in a little too late over a crest noted '80 right'. I went wide into the rocks which sent the car into a roll. I think we rolled twice and the car eventually came to a stop on its right side. It didn't take long to get it back on its wheels and get started again but we saw almost at once that we had lost the rear left wheel and we had to stop."

Gigi Galli [Mitsubishi]: [retired in SS5 - suspension]

"We didn't hit anything but the suspension suddenly broke and the rear wheel came off. There seems to be a cloud hanging over our car on each rally at the moment... But, we have the opportunity to run in SupeRally tomorrow and hopefully we can continue to show a good pace and gain more experience and understanding of the conditions. On the positive side, there is a big improvement with the dampers; I think our time and Harri's this morning say that for themselves."

Chris Atkinson [Subaru]: [retired in SS5 - hit a rock and lost a wheel]

"There's not really much to say after just thirty stage kilometres! We arrived at the start line of SS7 just as it was cancelled, and when the front suspension-arm broke after 30kms of SS8, our day was over. Up until that point I was very happy with the car, we were using the same set-up as yesterday and it was working well. So far on this rally I seem to be learning a lot about the mechanical elements of rallying - hopefully I'll get more driving experience tomorrow!"

Mikko Hirvonen [Ford]: [retired in SS7 - hit a rock]

"I lost the brakes just 1km after the start and had to scrub off speed in the corners. But near the finish I hit a stone and damaged the steering. I continued but 1km later I went off the road and lost the wheel. I also found the engine had lost its oil."

Chris Atkinson [Subaru]: [re-started under SupeRally rule - retired in SS8 - hit a rock]

"Things haven't turned out in our favour again today. The first stage cancelled after a few crashes and in the 39 kilometre tough second stage [SS8] we were running quite well. I felt very comfortable and wasn't pushing too hard but at about the 30 'k' mark we had a strange problem with front right ball joint which forced us to loose the steering which put us out for the second time in as many days. While we were back in today just for the experience it was is disappointing to go out like we did, but there are many others who have suffered similar incidents this weekend. The roads are very tough out there with a lot of rocks in the way and it is quite easy to lose something, even just through wear and tear on the car. If people saw the size of the rocks and the speed we go over them they'd be simply amazed."

Armin Schwarz [Skoda]: [retired in SS10 - clutch]

"We had a problem with the gearshift on SS9 but it seemed OK at the start of the next stage although it seemed to be taking longer to make changes. After 6kms the clutch started to slip and one kilometre later it caught fire and we had to stop. I'm really disappointed that we had to retire but overall I'm happy with the progress we've made here. Hopefully we can continue tomorrow - I'm really up for it but we will have to decide after we get the car back to Olbia."

Janne Tuohino [Skoda]: [retired in SS11 - spun]

"The car felt very nervous all through the final stage so maybe something was broken. We spun off near the start and lost a lot of time because the spectators wouldn't help. When it happened again near the end we decided that we would lose less time by stopping. You can't believe how slippery the roads are for the first car - it's like trying to drive on a sandy beach."

Toni Gardemeister [Ford]: [retired in SS11 - no oil pressure]

"The first stage went well. It was so good I attacked even more in the next test, but I pushed too hard. I overshot a junction and had to reverse back onto the road. Because I was pushing too much, the car was sliding and I picked up a puncture. The road was so sandy that it was like driving on a beach."

Stephane Sarrazin [Subaru]: [retired in SS11 - clutch]

"It's been very good today and overall I'm happy. I had a problem with the clutch on the last three stages and I lost my good position overall, but that's how it is. I've come here to learn and I'm definitely doing that. My times have been improving throughout the weekend, it's a good feeling in the car and I'm hoping we can restart and have another good day tomorrow."

Team Principals:

David Lapworth [Subaru World Rally Team - team principal]:

"With Sebastien on this form, the only option for Petter was to try and maintain the pressure, consolidate his second place and try to avoid being part of today's dramatic events. He's driven well, extended the gap behind him and is still on course for at least eight points. Chris and St?phane have not had such good days, like so many others they have been victims of the conditions. Nevertheless, this is all valuable experience and they will continue tomorrow with an eye on the next couple of events and next year's Rally Sardinia."

Fiore Brivio [Pirelli Tyres Rally manager]:

"Well done to Petter for maintaining second place and putting himself in an excellent position to capitalise on anything that might happen tomorrow. Unfortunately, the time lost yesterday was too great to recuperate, but we wish Petter the best of luck for a top result tomorrow."

Isao Torii [Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports - president]:

"I am very satisfied today; I talked to Harri and Gigi and told them to go maximum because we are now entering the second phase of our strategy. Harri has had a great fight and I'm very impressed with his driving and how he took care of the car and tyres. He has driven cleverly and shown his speed; I would like to still be smiling like this tomorrow. Gigi has also done a good job; I asked him for some good results and he set a fastest time. He has done a very good performance overall, despite his problems."

Mario Fornaris [Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports - technical director]:

"So far it seems that everything is going well for Harri. He is driving well and we've had no problems with his car. It's been a nightmare for Gigi and almost like someone just doesn't want him to be in this rally. But, we have one car in third position and a big fight ahead so I am happy."

Jean-Pierre Nicolas [Peugeot Sport - team principal]:

"After Marcus's accident we made a plan of action with the aim of seeing him finish on the podium. His gap to Harri Rovanpera means that he has to take two-tenths of a second per kilometre, which is well within his grasp. Markko Martin needs to take three tenths of a second per kilometre to claim fourth place. We've had no mechanical problems with the cars and have only had to change shock absorbers and brake discs. Our goal of finishing third and fourth tomorrow is perfectly achievable."

Malcolm Wilson [Ford Rallye Sport - team director]:

"We didn't want to risk destroying Toni's engine so we retired him from the leg. We will bring the car back to the service park and look at the data. Hopefully we can fix everything tonight and he will be able to start the final leg tomorrow."

Martin Muehlmeier [Skoda Motorsport - team boss]:

"After yesterday's good result I am disappointed with what happened today. We will continue tomorrow but we know we have lost the chance of a good overall position, even though we might still finish with championship points."