Subaru upbeat about asphalt form

The team were happy with their pace at the last Tarmac event in Germany, and the drivers are looking forward to the next two rallies in Spain and Corsica.

"The asphalt test last week in Spain was generally positive for us," said Petter Solberg. "We have made more progress with the handling of the car, and are eliminating problem areas.

"As a team we know the pace is there on asphalt, so I am hoping for a good result next weekend."

Chris Atkinson, who missed out on a good result in Germany due to an accident on day one, believes that the team will be in contention for stage wins next weekend in Spain.

"We're going well on asphalt, and I hope we will continue this pace in Spain," he said. "We were quick in Germany, and after the test I feel more comfortable still with the car.

"We have had the chance to do a lot of fine-tuning, and I think we can continue improving the speed of the car with more stage wins."

Subaru World Rally Team managing director Richard Taylor believes that all three of the Imprezas can bring home points in the next event, as Xevi Pons will also be looking to shine on home soil.

"Last week's asphalt test was encouraging and it allowed us to build on the improved pace we saw in Germany," he said.

"With a very smooth surface the conditions in Spain suit us well, and we hope to take advantage of recent developments to finish with Petter, Chris, and Xevi in points-scoring positions."