Petter Solberg admits that he is still far from fully settled in the Peugeot 207 despite currently holding fourth in the Monte Carlo Rally, his debut in both the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and S2000 machinery.
The 2003 World Rally champion was sixth after SS1 this morning, but then second quickest on SS2, moving him up to third overall. Solberg admitted that the dry weather of the opening stages had not been ideal for him.
"I had never tested the car in these conditions," he said. "So I didn't play with the setup."
He said a scare on SS1 had cost him a significant amount of time.
"It was in a medium-speed, right-hand corner," Solberg explained. "I hit some gravel and we hit the wall quite hard. For a couple of kilometers I didn't push because I thought I might have broken the wheel, but when it was OK we pressed on.
"The second stage was much better, but I'm still learning the car."
Solberg has so far proved competitive with everyone but dominant leader Juho Hanninen, but reckoned the Skoda's pace was partly to its tire choice, with SS2 having proved much more dry than most had expected.
"I'm not surprised at the Skoda's time," said Solberg. "They were two steps harder than us with the tires."