Mathieu Arzeno– Renault Clio R3 No. 38:“The hardest part of the day was on the second special, where we had two spins.I hadn't got much feel in the brake pedal, but we found the answer.After the second lap the car was going really well.There was a lot of fog on the last stage, and I had to concentrate 200% on listening to the pacenotes, which my co-driver called out very clearly over the intercom.I know tomorrow's route, so I'll know what to look out for."
Matteo Gamba– Renault Clio R3 No. 48:“What a rally!On the first stage, there was fog, ice and snow put down by the spectators, it was real buzz … I’m going well and gaining lots of experience.One of the most important things is to make sure you don't choose the wrong tires.Up till now, most of my rallying has been in Italy; this is the first time I’m driving at international level."
Kris Princen– Renault Clio R3 No. 36:“We made good decisions about the suspension settings and tires today.We’re being careful and will continue to be tomorrow.At the start of each special, I was really pleased I was still in there.It’s a rally where you’ve got to keep on going!”
Jan Cerny– Renault Clio R3 No. 40:“The day began well, but we chose the wrong tires on the final stage and lost a lot of time.I had worn rain tires, but should have been on slicks.Also, I wasn’t so confident in the fog.”
Thomas Barral– Renault Clio R3 No. 42:“We didn't get the suspension right this morning, and had it far too soft.We put that right and after the second lap the car was going really well.I really enjoyed the last stage in the fog, where I had to drive concentrating totally on the pacenotes.”
Pierre Campana– Renault Clio R3 No. 35:“We wanted to be careful, so chose snow settings and studded tires this morning.It wasn’t quite the right choice to have to made, and we had few really hairy moments.We just had to get on with it, and mostly made up the time we had lost.We’ve used our only trump card and from tomorrow on we’re going to have to step up the pace to get back with the leaders.”
Results – Leg 1:
1.Mathieu Arzeno (FRA) – Romain Roche (FRA)1h39’58”9
2.Matteo Gamba (ITA) – Emanuele Inglesi (ITA)+ 1’40”3
3.Kris Princen (BEL) – Eddy Smeets (BEL)+ 2’29’’7
4.Jan Cerny (CZE) – Pavel Kohout (CZE)+ 2’21’’3
5. Thomas Barral (FRA) – Sabrina Seux (FRA) + 3’31’’1
6. Pierre Campana (FRA) – Sabrina de Castelli (FRA) + 3’52’6
7. Simone Campedelli (ITA) – Danilo Fappani (ITA) + 4’41’’6
8. Jean-Michel Raoux (FRA) – Céline Charbonnier (FRA) + 7’04’’0
9. Christophe Fontaine (FRA) – Yvon Colas (FRA) + 12’08’’0
Retired:Giuseppe Freguglia (ITA) – Gabriele Falzone (ITA)SS3 – Crash
Retired:Eric Mauffrey (FRA) – Gaetan Houssin (FRA)SS1 – Mechanical problems
Retired:Robert Kubica (POL) - Jakub Gerber (POL)Prologue – Mechanical problems
