Nasser Al-Attiyah says his exclusion from Super 2000 World Rally Championship victory on last month's Rally Mexico spurred him on to find more speed on the Jordan Rally today.
The Ford driver leads the SWRC section comfortably after the opening loop of stages and he says he will continue that pace to erase the memory of his Leon loss.
"It was a tough decision [in Mexico] and the whole team was disappointed," said Al-Attiyah, "and, yes, it did give me more motivation to go faster and push harder here. In the second stage, I was near the maximum to get the lead in S2000. Now I have the lead, but I don't want to risk anything this afternoon.
"Everything is working well for me right now and I have to continue that through the afternoon and tomorrow, I have to keep the concentration."
Al Attiyah's Fiesta was excluded in Mexico after it failed post-event scrutineering after an indiscretion was found in the fuel cell ventilation. Midway through the afternoon loop, Al Attiyah is a minute and a half ahead of the similar machine of Bernardo Sousa.