Hirvonen and Latvala explain what went wrong

Jari-Matti Latvala: “A rock was jutting out from the bedrock in a rut in the middle of the corner” I was doing about 150kph when I hit it and the impact damaged the rear right suspension. I didn't see the rock until I hit it. It was a very rough stage and the rock wasn't in my pace notes. It was close to the stage finish so I didn't lose much time. The trailing arm in the suspension broke and we stopped after the finish to strap it up so that we could complete the final stage. We were unlucky because the repairs were holding until we drove over a speed bump before the start of the last stage and it broke again.

"It has been the same story for me in recent events. I have had a good start, hit trouble and then have to fight back up the leaderboard. I tried to look after my tyres this morning as it's important to keep them in good condition here. I was playing with the throttle on the uphill sections to preserve them and that's something I need to work on because tomorrow will be even tougher."

Mikko Hirvonen: “It was so rough and the damage could have happened anywhere. Just before the finish I braked going into a corner and the front right compression strut broke. We tried to fix it after the finish but I had to drive slowly through the final stage. I have a better road position for tomorrow, and that's the best positive I can draw from today. Third could still be possible, but that will be the best I can achieve."