Whistling Thorns D Service Notes

(Ford) - second, +2m12.0s: "I've no real problems and I'm happy enough at the moment."

(Peugeot) - third, +4m36.0s: "I seem to be lacking a little in top speed, but maybe it's just the altitude."

(Peugeot) - fourth, +4m56.0s: "We're going too slow. I don't feel comfortable with pushing the car in the rough stuff, because we had shock absorber problems in testing."

(Skoda) - sixth, +6m34.0s: Had simultaneous left front and right rear punctures on the third section. The German changed the rear, then carried on again. But as the mousse gave up the fight, he was forced to stop again and change the front.

(Subaru) - eighth, +6m58.0s: " The right rear damper exploded fifty kilometres after the start and we had to take it a little easy after that."

(Ford) - ninth, +7m56.0s: The Frenchman doesn't have a helicopter telling what lies ahead in the road. "I've had a few scares. When we come over crests, we've found several dogs and cows in the road, especially on the third section."

(Skoda) - 10th, +10m00.0s: "I passed Armin when he had his problem, but he caught up again, so I let him re-pass to clear my dust, because in the last 15 kilometres I had no shocks left."

(Mitsubishi) - 11th, +19m45.0s: Lost time stopping to change a front suspension link.