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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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