Puras: 'I took a lot of risks...'

Puras was fastest on the day's opening test - the very first world championship special stage tackled by Citroen's new Xsara T4 WRC car - and backed that up with second fastest on the second and third stages. He takes a 5.3s lead over Tommi Makinen's Mitsubishi into this afternoon's cluster of three stages, which are a straight repeat of the morning's competitive sections.

Although the rally is all-asphalt, corner-cutting by the early runners leaves the surface dirty for the later seeds, so the Spaniard believes he must start higher up the order tomorrow in order to be in the running for a debut victory for the T4.

"I'm a bit surprised to be leading," he said. "I took a lot of risks because the roads were very dirty. I've a good feeling with the car, but I know I have to be further up the field tomorrow to get cleaner roads."

The second run through the stages this afternoon should level the playing field, with the top five or so cars also getting dirtier road conditions after this morning's first run through.

Puras also spoke about the stewards' meeting last night that could have seen him thrown out of the rally for illegal recceing. Puras was caught in possession of pre-prepared pace notes during a spot check on the official recce, but argued that they were made based on prior knowledge of the roads.

During the deliberations, his co-driver Marc Marti was sent to his Barcelona apartment to bring evidence that the notes had been made based on a previous event and not on illegal recceing in the run-up to this year's Catalunya Rally. Eventually - and to the consternation of rival team bosses- the stewards decided to take no action.

Puras's team mate Philippe Bugalski lies sixth overall, but believes he too can up his pace this afternoon after brake problems slowed him in the day's opening two stages. The Frenchmen fought back, however, to take fastest on SS3.

"We noticed a broken brake disc before the service before the first stage," said Bugalski. "We changed it, but it took time to bed in. I didn't have the confidence in the brakes in the first stage - I had a long pedal - but it got better and it was fine on stage three."