I had prepared to this rally very carefully. I had been on track in Alastaro with a specialist Olli Haapalainen for a day and I had also driven 550 test kilometers in two days which was my record in testing so far. And the set up of the car felt better than ever before on tarmac. Still the race had a tricky start on Friday’s moist – though drying -roads. I couldn’t find self confidence and I had lost what Haapalainen taught me. I was fifth after the first stage and then I dropped into the sixth position and all the others ahead of me went faster than me. I changed the car for the afternoon and my driving got notably better but it didn’t show in the results, unfortunately. On Saturday I started the race hoping that I could catch Sebastien Ogier who was fifth but from the first stage of the day his pace was too much for me even though I drove better than last year. The competitors ahead of me went their way and I remained sixth having trouble with my jamming rear brakes. I was sixth on every stage on Saturday. On Sunday my rear brakes were better and I started to get closer to the fastest stage times. Finally I drove one fastest time on the last stage of the rally which made me very happy. I drove 0,2 seconds per kilometer faster now than I did in 2008 in Catalonia but still I was sixth. The race was won by whom else than Sebastien Loeb, Dani Sordo was second and Mikko Hirvonen third. There is one race left but Citroën already made sure that they will win the manufacturer’s title. As for me there is still work to be done in driving on tarmac!

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