Suzuki driver P-G Andersson is leading after the opening day of the Monte Carlo Rally, round one of the Junior World Rally Championship. Kosti Katajamaki is second in another Ignis, while the similar car of Guy Wilks is in fourth. Right behind him is the Ignis of Alan Scorcioni in fifth, while the Suzukis of Czech drivers Pavel Valousek and Martin Prokop are eighth and ninth.

P-G Andersson taking a strong lead in Monte Carlo

The first leg of the all-asphalt event consisted of just four tricky stages, run through the Alpes Maritimes high above the famous Principality. Weather conditions were unexpectedly warm, with little of the snow and ice that is usually a characteristic of the Monte Carlo Rally. However, there were still patches of snow and ice in places, which made the season-opener as tricky as ever.

P-G took the lead on the opening special stage and maintained it until the end of the rally's first leg. Like most of the drivers, he chose tyres which were slightly too soft for the relatively warm conditions of the second special stage, and he switched to a harder compound in the afternoon. His Suzuki Ignis was a paragon of reliability, and he ran with no problems throughout the day.

The reigning Junior World Champion said: "It might have looked like we had no dramas, but we were always pushing hard so we certainly had one or two little moments! However, there was nothing to seriously worry us today. These largely dry conditions are even more difficult than normal, as they are quite inconsistent. This means that you can have really good grip for a lot of the stage, but find one or two places where there is not much grip at all. Then you have to be careful - it certainly keeps you awake! We clattered a wall on the last stage which shows that you can never relax."

Guy Wilks was also straight on the pace, despite being slowed by overheating brakes on the opening special stage. He too chose tyres that were too soft for the first loop of stages and switched to a harder compound in the afternoon. From then on he had no problems to end the day within sight of the podium, although he was unhappy with his performance on the last stage of the day.

The Englishman commented: "The problem with the brakes affected my confidence a bit in the morning, but it was much better in the afternoon. I must have been pushing quite hard because I could feel the tyres going off at the end of stages, but on the whole we've had a very good run today. The car is feeling good, we've had no mechanical setbacks and I'm sure we can be pushing hard again tomorrow. I'm not quite sure why we lost a bit of time on the final stage; maybe we were just over-driving. But there's still a long way to go so anything can happen."

Monster Sport Europe team manager Risto Laine said: "It's been a very good opening day for us, but of course there is still a very long way to go and the Monte Carlo Rally can bite back at any time. The drivers have driven brilliantly but Monte Carlo is never straightforward. We are in the lead for now but it's too early to draw any conclusions. The cars seem reliable, and that for the moment is the most important thing."

The Suzuki Sport Europe Ignis of Finn Kosti Katajamaki ends the day second after an excellent run on the first day of a rally he loves. Kosti was also on tyres that were too soft in the morning, and he was worried that his engine felt slightly down on power in the afternoon. But this did not stop him from consolidating his runners-up slot.

Kosti reported: "It's been a hard but very enjoyable start to the Monte Carlo Rally. We had a bit of patchy ice in the afternoon, but otherwise nothing too bad. Our car felt a little unresponsive pulling out of the uphill hairpins on SS3 - I had to use first gear rather than second. But this does not seem to be a serious problem, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do tomorrow."

Italian Alan Scorcioni, driving his first rally in an Ignis run by Czech team JM Engineering, was delighted with his car's performance on the opening day although he too had a soft brake pedal on the twisty SS1. Apart from that his Ignis was flawless, and he is optimistic about his prospects on leg two.

He said: "What a fantastic car! I've rarely felt this sort of confidence on a rally and to have it straight away in a brand new machine is quite extraordinary. I've really enjoyed myself on the first leg and had no mechanical problems. You could not ask for more and I can't wait until tomorrow now!"

The final drivers's point is provisionally held by Czech Pavel Valousek, who has been pleased with his new Ignis run by JM Engineering.

Tomorrow's second leg of the Monte Carlo Rally is the longest of the entire event, taking in 128 competitive kilometres over five stages. Weather conditions are again expected to be reasonably warm and dry, with the possibility of patches of snow and ice. The first car leaves Parc Ferme in Monaco at 0645 and returns to the Principality at 1955.

Junior World Rally Championship classification at end of leg one, Monte Carlo Rally:

1 P-G Andersson (Suzuki Ignis) 1h25m55.6s
2 Kosti Katajamaki (Suzuki Ignis) +1m06.4s
3 Kris Meeke (Citroen C2) +1m17.1s
4 Guy Wilks (Suzuki Ignis) +1m21.8s
5 Alan Scorcioni (Suzuki Ignis) +1m29.2s
6 Luca Betti (Renault Clio) +2m30.3s
7 Luca Cecchettini (Renault Clio) +2m35.0s
8 Pavel Valousek (Suzuki Ignis) +3m25.4s
9 Martin Prokop (Suzuki Ignis) +4m00.7s