 Rossi was aiming to beat his previous two efforts in a WRC event, an early retirement at Rally GB in 2002 and an eleventh-place finish at the 2006 Rally New Zealand.The rally began in tricky conditions with ice and heavy rain making the roads very slippery and fog hampering the competitors' visibility.For safety reasons, the first and fourth stages held in Hafren (which had already been shortened from 19 km to 3 km) were cancelled.