David Lapworth Quotations

Gaining more experience on asphalt is one of Chris's development objectives this year. The challenging stages in Ireland will be great practice for him. He needs all the asphalt experience he can get but, in particular, coming from sunny Australia, he hasn't had many chances to drive in the wet - that shouldn't be a problem in Ireland!

In many respects, the hardest part is preparation. This is the only rally of the year that takes place in full snow conditions with winter temperatures to match and there is a lot of work that's exclusive to just this event, for instance, making sure that components and seals work in the low temperatures and don't ice up. Bizarrely enough, overheating is a big problem in Sweden as the radiator can become blocked with snow.

The testing we've done on asphalt so far has been good and we're pleased with the starting ground. Petter certainly has a shot at winning every rally, but our eye will always be on the championship. We start each event looking to win, but we won't sacrifice points at the expense of the title. If a win is on the cards in Monte Carlo we will go for it, but if the weather doesn't suit us we'll strategically go for points - this isn't a case of Monte Carlo or bust!

Petter lost out on the first two stages but he actually drove very well, got some time back in the afternoon and was on target to achieve a podium result until the oil leak.

There is no room for half-hearted commitment - drivers have to attack from the beginning to the end of every stage and have extremely precise pace notes. A lot of the corners are blind and most are very fast. I've said this before, but the ideal for Finland is a vehicle that handles like a sports car and rides like a limousine. The car needs to be agile, with sharp reactions and precise handling but, on the other hand, it needs soft suspension and lots of wheel travel to get grip.

Our objective is to find another Subaru world champion and we'll do all that we can to help Chris and Stephane reach that goal.

It was clear we needed to make everything much stronger and stiffer. Which led us to the shorter belts and greater rear support for the seat.

Chris has one year's experience of the rally behind him, but he's not a Scandinavian so he hasn't grown up on snow and ice, and a podium could be asking a lot. He can, nevertheless, make the top six, as he showed last year that he can go fast when conditions are predictable. He can't seriously challenge the experienced Scandinavians, but he will be close.

Chris has had a fantastic weekend. To finish in the top six on his first Monte Carlo is a major achievement and he's done it at a very respectable pace.

This will probably be the last time we say he has a steep learning curve. He's now got experience of all the rallies and his year will be focused on building on 2005's solid foundations. Both he and the team will be looking for good finishes.