Motorsport: Cautious Burns happy with comeback

Richard Burns admitted he had to be cautious in the opening stages of the Monte Carlo Rally.

The world champion was making his debut for Peugeot in one of the trickiest rallys of the season.

And after a poor start, Burns finished the day in a creditable seventh place, with Sebastien Loeb leading.

"I drove cautiously on the ice," said Burns. "At the moment I am still learning.

"The conditions this morning were poor, but much better in the afternoon."

Meanwhile, fourth placed Colin McRae would have been closer to the leaders but for going into a ditch on the penultimate stage after hitting an icy patch.

"We avoided the wall on the other side of the ditch but lost a few seconds," said McRae.

"Conditions are fairly consistent and it's easier when it's like that."

Tommi Makinen also lost around 30 seconds with a spin on the same stage but otherwise was delighted with his first outing in the Subaru.

"Overall it's been a very good day for me," said the Finn.

"I'm learning new things about the car all the time, but there is still a lot more potential, there are many things for me to work on."