For me Basso's pace is no surprise, I think he is the best driver in the IRC for the moment (at least on tarmac).The most pleasant surprise is Luca Rossetti because he has proven that he can win anywhere. On the other hand, the Peugeot domination is boring, I hope Škoda will be fast enough for the top, otherwise we will have another WRC. I agree with Mirek about that distant rallies, already Safari and China rally last year had shown that such rallies are too far and expensive and only factory teams can afford that. I know there is a word intercontinental in the name of the championship, but almost all succesful rallies are in Europe.