Mads Østberg ends Day 1 of the 2016 Dayinsure Wales Rally GB in a solid seventh place for M-Sport.
As technical issues and punctures hindered a number of crews throughout the field, the Norwegian kept his nose out of trouble to survive a tricky first day in the Welsh forests.
He consolidated a comfortable top ten position in the table, setting solid but unspectacular stage times throughout the day.
Having got through the opening day unscathed, Østberg is hoping for the same tomorrow.
This steady performance, coupled with a more progressive pace, could see him climb the standings as a result.
However, he is two minutes down on the fastest of the M-Sport Fords, Ott Tänak in second.
Østberg is hoping to match his Estonian rival in order to be the first Fiesta to finish on their home rally.
“It’s been a tricky day and we’ve had to make quite a few adjustments to both the car and the driving throughout the day.
“It’s been challenging, but I felt we did some really good stages. The times might not have been what we were expecting, but we are in a strong seventh place and that’s not so bad.
“Tomorrow will be a different day with a different surface which will hopefully provide a bit more grip. At the moment I can’t seem to find the traction so hopefully with a bit more grip we can be faster.”
