• 1 Petter Solberg, Subaru Impreza
  "It feels good, we're on target but there's still a long way to go. I've pushed to the maximum today, perhaps a little too much in the morning but my tyre choice was too hard and I had no option. We gave away a lot of seconds for free on the first group of stages but the afternoon was much better. It's not easy out there, the stages have been terrible. My biggest fight today was not with Marcus, it was with the roads. It's been a long time since I won a rally and it's a feeling I want back. I'm sure Marcus will attack very hard tomorrow, but I want this win very much indeed."
• 2 Marcus Gronholm , Peugeot 307 +32.3s
  "This afternoon was quite tricky for us. For the last three stages we had a problem with the differential, which meant that the handling of the car was quite difficult. Then on the road section towards the superspecial we heard a noise from the gearbox, which worried me. Luckily we were able to make it to the end with no problems but it has not been easy. Tomorrow I do not think we have a chance to catch Petter under normal circumstances so we just have to do our best and get to the finish, which has been our aim throughout the rally."
• 3 Sebastien Loeb, Citroen Xsara +1m 11
• 4 Galli Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Lancer +2m 42
  “Today has been another very long day, tiring, but very satisfying at the end and I am happy. To be honest I have never, ever, seen such tricky stages in my life. We had a similar problem to Harri with the lights, but still had two lamps working so it was slightly easier for us. This morning I didn’t want to take more risks than necessary; the event is already difficult enough, there is no point risking more. Tomorrow we’ll continue to push, but only at the pace I am comfortable.”
• 5 Harri Rovanpera, Mitsubishi Lancer +2m 43
  “Today has been a good day, but losing the spot lamps was very frustrating. We had the fog and main lights, but this means nothing in the type of conditions we are talking about. In the open sections of the stage it was reasonably okay, but the minute you get under the trees and into the mud it is very difficult. But, overall we have to be very happy with the performance.”
• 6 Atkinson Subaru
  "Although we dropped from fourth to sixth it was still a good day. We are only 10 seconds behind fourth place and very much in contention to achieve our aim for the weekend of a solid result in the points. This morning's stages were very tough with the roads pretty rough but the changes we made in the midday service improved the set up for this afternoon's run. Throughout the day we continued to play it safe to make sure we got through okay, we sacrificed a little time in the process but we're still in the game. With it being so close for a spot in the top five it is going to be an interesting battle tomorrow on roads that we know well but our number one aim is make sure we get to the finish ramp."
• 7 Duval Citroen
• 8 Gardemeister Ford
• 9 Kresta Ford
• 10 D Carlsson Peugeot
• 11 Warmbold 12 Schwarz 13 Panizzi 14 Arai 15 Crocker 16 Nutahara

CITROEN LEG REPORT - Loeb's sights set on the podium!

LEG 1, FRI, SEP 30, 2005, after SS9

RALLY PREVIEW:

• Petter Solberg: "First and foremost my thoughts are with Michael's family and friends. Beef was a great guy and he will be missed by the whole of the WRC. Both Phil and I knew Michael well after being team mates in 2001 and Phil in particular was very close to him. Everything else that happened at Rally GB seems insignificant next to what happened. The final leaderboard showed that I won the event, but in my mind I finished second. Sebastien deserved the win, but I can understand the reasons why he did what he did. But now we all have to keep going - it's what Beef would have wanted. Rally Japan is Subaru's home event and we have a lot of support there so it's very special for us. It's a very technical event as it can be difficult to read the roads, but we won here last year so we're looking for
  maximum points again."
• Chris Atkinson: "Of course Rally Japan won't be the same without Beef. He was a top guy and we'll all miss him. I think of Rally Japan as my second home event as I have a good understanding of the roads and the conditions. We've competed in the event for the past two years when the event was part of the Asia-Pacific Championship. We've had a good run here too - last year we won our class and set some fast times on most of the stages. The roads are fast and narrow and are quite similar in places to GB, except with more tree cover. Last year the route was very tricky in the damp conditions, but this year it may dry, which will change the character of the stages."

• Peugeot travels to the thirteenth round of the calendar in 2nd position in the Manufacturers' championship, 20 points behinds its sister marque Citroën which tops the provisional standings. With four rounds remaining, and with a one-two finish worth a total of 18 points, the contest is still far from over, although Peugeot's situation has become more difficult since Wales Rally GB. In the chase for the Drivers' title, Marcus Grönholm is currently 3rd with a score of 61 points. The Finn's objective will be to try to regain 2nd place. Following his tragic accident on the final day of the recent Wales Rally GB, Markko Märtin will not compete in next week's Rally Japan. The second 307WRC will be driven by Daniel Carlsson.

• LOEB: "My priority will be the championship. Rally Japan is not one of the events I want to win the most. That said, I won't surprise anybody if I say that I will start at a pace at which I feel comfortable. In Wales, I felt extremely confident with the car. I obviously took some risks but I don't believe they were unconsidered risks. If I feel just as confident in Obihiro, and if my natural pace enables me to challenge for victory, then I will go for it. If I see that keeping up with the leader - or leaders - means that I have to take excessive risks, then I will concentrate on the championship and try to wrap it up in Japan. It will be nice to be able to go to Corsica with a free mind. The Tour of Corsica is one of the rallies I really do want to win!"
• DUVAL: "The stages are very narrow, and the grass that masks the corners makes it very difficult to read the road. The only way to anticipate what's coming next is to drive 100% to your pacenotes. Judging by what we achieved last year in the circumstances I have just described, and also going by my recent performance with Sven on Rally GB where we set some excellent stage times without making any mistakes, I feel quite optimistic. My confidence is back and Sven and I now function perfectly together, so I think we should be able to meet the objective set by Citroën for Rally Japan."

MITSUBISHI

• ROVANPERA: "It's great to be in Japan; we have been waiting for the start of this rally for nine months. Shakedown was good for us and I really hope the feeling during the rally can be the same. I don't feel extra pressure, even though it is the most important rally for Mitsubishi; we try our best always, but I do feel very confident we can do something good this weekend; hopefully even a podium. The car and our performance gets better and better all the time and it would be special for us to make a very good result here. Tires are going to be very important too, as maybe the conditions will become cloudier, colder and even with some rain, but I hope we can make everything work for us".
• PANIZZI: "For sure it is not so easy for me because I have not done this rally before and I must learn everything quickly. But we really try our hardest for Mitsubishi and the fans, but I don't think it will be possible to go maximum tomorrow. We must ease ourselves into the pace and increase our performance each day to make sure we can try and get a good result for the team. The weather could be a big factor for the tires, but the situation will be the same for everyone, so we will see".

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