Early Rally Finland leader Jari Ketomaa said he was not surprised at the speed he was able to show on his debut in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.
The Finn was quickest through the opening stage of Rally Finland on Thursday, but slowed down on SS2 to take a better place on the road for Friday's stages. Ketomaa was fourth overnight, seven seconds off the lead and full of praise for his Ford.
"The car is fantastic," he said. "I did a season in the Fiesta Super 2000 car last year, so I know the chassis is very good, but the engine makes it quite a different car to drive. I've got good confidence in the car, so I'm not surprised at what we have done.
"Maybe it sounds silly, but I didn't expect the fastest time – that did surprise me a little bit. I'm just driving normally, not taking big risks or anything like that."
Asked what he thought was possible from the event, Ketomaa replied: "I don't know, it's too much to expect this [to win], but let's see. I'm not taking any more pressure from what I have done tonight. I'll stay at the same pace tomorrow, there is some more if I need to use it, but we'll see."