Manlleu service: notes and quotes

(Mitsubishi), second overall, +5.3s: Had gear selection problems in SS2, with the Lancer jumping out of gear, but still recovered to take fastest time on that test.

(Peugeot), third overall, +5.7s: "Still I'm leaving my left foot on the brake pedal too much, and they've been overheating a little bit. Normally on asphalt, I'm safely, safely. But this time I'm pushing like I should and it's beginning to seem to work."

(Peugeot), fifth overall, +10.3s: "It's very nervous at the rear of my car. I had the same problem in the shakedown. I can't say that road position makes a big difference because of what Puras is doing, but I will have to take bigger risks on the gravel because I need to be in the top five to be in contention tomorrow."

(Mitsubishi), eighth overall, +22.4s: Suffered from a sticking throttle in this morning's early stages. Should be cured for this afternoon's runs.

(Ford), ninth overall, +28.9s: "The car doesn't feel good. The engine response is poor, and it didn't feel good in the shakedown either. We've made it better, but it's still not right. I also stalled on the startline of the first stage, thanks to our marvellous clutch. The tyres are fine." (McRae chose a softer compound and a different pattern of Pirellis to team mate Carlos Sainz).

(Ford), 10th overall, +30.0s: "We have quite a lot of understeer all the time." The Spaniard went on the same construction tyre as Richard Burns, but a harder compound. The team has altered front dampers and suspension geometry in service, but the Spaniard has not been helped by a misfire caused by a fuel pump problem.

(Subaru), 11 th overall, +33.2s: "I had a lot of understeer in SS1. It improved in SS", but the ignition cut off and we lost about 10s." On the accident which ended Petter Solberg in SS3, the Estonian said: "I only saw the marks on the road, not the car. It was quite a quick place."

(Subaru), 14th overall, +47.1s: "After about 12kms on the second stage, the gearbox started selecting neutral of its own accord. For the last five kilometres on two and three, I locked it in fifth and I spun on the last one when I went into a hairpin in fifth."

(Hyundai), 15th overall, +53.6s: "We're losing our time uphill and we've got understeer in the long corners." McRae's 16th-placed team mate Piero Liatti was also complaining of turbo problems for his Accent.