EJ20H-TT Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Fastest Time For Solberg Petter Solberg ends the day with the fastest time during the Shakedown of the Swedish Rally. The Norwegian is followed by Marcus Gronholm at the wheel of his Peugeot 307 WRC. Solberg's day started with a light traffic accident on the road heading to the Shakedown. Fortunately, the crew is fine and the damage to the Subaru was only superficial. Sebastien Loeb won the first round of the championship at the Monte Carlo Rally and will have to open the road for the first leg of the rally this weekend in Sweden. A difficult situation for the Citroën driver. However, the temperature has been slightly higher than anticipated, meaning that part of the roads may not be covered by ice or snow, which should help the Frenchman. "It's not that bad," admitted Loeb. "It may almost become like a gravel-type rally and if it is a little bit colder, it will be very good. I think that it will be fine to start first in these conditions but I don't have enough experience on this surface to be sure." Markko Martin will be the second driver to start the event tomorrow. The Ford cars had a few more hydraulic problems this morning but Marin remains optimistic for this weekend: "I really hope to do well here. I always liked this rally but I am praying that we will not get more snow." The Mitsubishi drivers are continuing the development work on the Lancer WRC : "The balance is good and the set-up here is actually better than it was in the Monte-Carlo," said Gilles Panizzi, who will take part in the Swedish Rally for the second time. Shakedown : final results SOLBERG - MILLS Subaru Impreza 1'56"4 GRÖNHOLM - RAUTIANEN Peugeot 307 WRC 1'56"6 CARLSSON - ANDERSSON Peugeot 206 WRC 1'57"7 SAINZ - MARTI Citroën Xsara WRC 1'57"7 SOLBERG - MENKERUD Peugeot 206 WRC 1'57"8 HIRVONEN - LEHTINEN Subaru Impreza WRC 1'58"1 MÄRTIN - PARK Ford Focus WRC 1'59"3 LOEB - ELENA Citroën Xsara WRC 1'59"4 DUVAL - PREVOT Ford Focus WRC 1'59"9 LOIX - SMEETS Peugeot 307 WRC 2'00"2 JOHANSSON - HOLMSTRAND Toyota Corolla WRC 2'00"4 TUOHINI - AHO Ford Focus WRC 2'01"0 ERIKSSON - SVENSSON Ford Focus WRC 2'02"1 SOHLBERG - LINDSTRÖM Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 2'02"4 PANIZZI - PANIZZI Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 2'02"5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPower Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Awesome news! Come on Petter. Keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tide Posted February 5, 2004 Share Posted February 5, 2004 Nice job Petter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 6, 2004 Author Share Posted February 6, 2004 Martin On Course For Landmark Win Estonia's Markko Martin is on course to become the first non-Scandinavian to win the Swedish Rally after taking advantage when favourite Marcus Gronholm ran into opening-day problems. The Ford Focus driver leads by 23.3seconds from Citroen's Sebastien Loeb after scorching to two successive fastest times. Martin took over top spot on the third of today's five stages after early pacesetter Gronholm suffered a power steering failure and slumped to seventh overall. "Now I am in front all I can do is make sure I do the best job I can to stay there," said Martin, victorious in Finland last year, who set the pace on the two longest stages of the rally. Gronholm had made a promising start in only the second event in the Peugeot 307 but it all went wrong midway through the day. "We lost the power steering and it was quite difficult to drive," said Finland's two-time former world champion. "I tried for a while to go as fast as possible but it was dangerous. You could not let it go sideways. We cannot fix the one minute we lost. That's the big problem. But I haven't given up yet." Gronholm recovered one place to take sixth place overnight but he is still almost a minute adrift of Martin who could grab the lead in the drivers' standings if he wins on Sunday and Loeb loses second spot. Loeb, who won the opening round in Monte Carlo last month when Martin finished second, was fastest in the final stage, a short super special. Norway's reigning world champion Petter Solberg is third for Subaru, almost 27 seconds adrift of Martin, with Carlos Sainz fourth in the other Citroen Xsara, just over 44 seconds down. Finland's Janne Tuohino is fifth in the other Focus with countryman Mikko Hirvonen seventh for Subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 6, 2004 Author Share Posted February 6, 2004 Rally reactions: Swedish Rally - Leg 1. Markko Martin [Ford]: "I took care early this morning and just needed a couple of stages to settle into the rally. The Focus has been reliable all day. The only problem was a driver one when I stalled the engine at the start of the second stage but we didn't lose much time. The two Granberget stages were really good fun, in fact the whole day has been enjoyable. This morning we were the second car through the stage and there were no lines or ruts from other cars so I was able to play with the car a little and choose exactly the line that I wanted. To be first with a lead of more than 20sec is better than I expected." Sebastien Loeb [Citroen]: "I'm very pleased. I had a good day today, better then last year - we have had no problems. I'm impressed by Markko Martins' driving though. It doesn't matter if it's snowing tomorrow." Petter Solberg [Subaru]: "It's been an incredible day, much better that I expected. I've never done well here before so I'm very happy. We had no real problems today just the spin earlier, but that's just part of the game. Since then, it's been perfect. Out on the stages there's an incredible atmosphere - I've never seen so many Norwegian flags. The conditions suit my driving and if it stays the same tomorrow, I'll do my best to beat Markko and Sebastien." Carlos Sainz [Citroen]: "The biggest problem today was too long studs. We will see what happens tomorrow." Janne Tuohino [Ford] "We made no mistakes although maybe we were too sideways in places on the second stage this morning. I drove at maximum speed but didn't take any risks. I call it safety speed and everything has gone normally. It's not a bad position to be the leading Finn on a winter rally. I will try to go a little faster tomorrow and brake a little less but I must be careful because the Focus has more potential than I know about." Marcus Gronholm [Peugeot]: "It was really hard work [when the power steering went in SS3], but I knew I had to keep on pushing. I tried to limit the time loss as much as possible, but we still ended up losing a minute. It makes life difficult, but we're certainly not giving up. We still have some good chances to do well." Mikko Hirvonen [Subaru]: "It's been a perfect day, especially if you don't count the second run through Granberget! We lost quite lot of time there. I stalled at a junction and got stuck behind Panizzi, but overall my confidence has risen and it feels very good. Like a lot of rallies this year, my main priority is experience, but of course I'm still going to push when I am able so we'll just see what's possible tomorrow." Francois Duval [Ford]: "It was good fun to drive on these roads and the conditions were better than we expected. The roads were about 70 per cent gravel on the first two stages but the lack of ice and snow hasn't altered the way I drive. We worked hard on perfecting our pace notes on the first pass through Granberget and that showed because they were fantastic on the second run. We were much quicker than our first attempt when all the other leading drivers were slower. I had a good feeling with the Focus but like everyone else I am concerned about what the rain will do to the roads we use tomorrow." Freddy Loix [Peugeot]: "It's been a very frustrating day for me. In the morning, I lost time on the slower corners as I didn't have a good feeling with the back end of the car. We made some changes and I thought I was driving well, but when I saw the times I was disappointed. We need to think very carefully about why this is happening and try to find a solution." Kristian Sohlberg [Mitsubishi] "Five kilometres before the finish of the second stage I started to brake and the wheels just locked up. We went off the road and got stuck in a snow bank. All in all it has been a tough day and it taught me a lot." Notable retirements: Gilles Panizzi [Mitsubishi]: [retired in SS4 - mechanical] "We had a problem this morning with fifth gear, so the team changed the gearbox after the second stage. Then we had a problem with fourth in the second 'box and we put the original one back in the car. But then two kilometres before the end of the fourth stage we had more problems, had to stop and then the car wouldn't re-start. Our aim was always to get to the finish so we can learn more information about the car, so from that point of view it is a shame." Team Principals: Malcolm Wilson [Ford Rallye Sport - team director]: "Our cars are where I expected them to be had the conditions been consistent. But the roads have been so variable and unpredictable that I'm even more delighted with the way the day has gone. Markko drove superbly on both occasions in the long stage, Janne has driven sensibly to end the day inside the top six and Francois showed how much he has learned about his pace notes when you compare his times through the long stage." David Lapworth [Subaru World Rally Team - team principal]: "It's been a very satisfying day. The boys have both kept out of trouble, kept a good solid pace and both cars have been 100 per cent reliable. We're exactly where we wanted to be at the end of the first Leg, but there is still a lot more of this rally to go, and with the weather we're expecting tomorrow anything can happen." Mario Fornaris [Mitsubishi - technical director]: "After the successful result in Monte-Carlo we are learning another new chapter in our comeback. The conditions here are much harder and give us another challenge; we lost Gilles with gearbox problems but Kristian is still here and can get more data for the team and experience for himself." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 7, 2004 Author Share Posted February 7, 2004 Disaster for Martin as Loeb takes control HAGFORS, Sweden (AFP) - Estonia's Markko Martin saw his chances of winning the Rally of Sweden dashed when he slumped from first to ninth place after almost losing a wheel off his Ford Focus. France's Sebastien Loeb was the new leader after the second of three days with a 40.6sec advantage over Marcus Gronholm, seeking his third straight success in the Swedish snow, and a 1min 28.1sec lead over reigning world champion Petter Solberg of Norway. Click to enlarge photo Martin, defending a 25sec cushion over Monte-Carlo winner Loeb after Friday's opening session, hit a snow-covered rock early in the 11th stage which shattered the rear suspension of his Ford Focus and all but ripped a wheel off. He managed to limp to the finish line but lost a precious six minutes in the process to put paid to his hopes of landing this second leg of the championship. "I must have leant on the snow bank harder than other people, because I hit a hidden rock within it," Martin said. "Obviously my chance of victory has gone but it's not over yet because I can still score points." The big early move of the middle day came from race favourite Gronholm, who had been held back on Friday with steering problems, but the dual world champion boosted his chances rattling off wins in the first three specials in his Peugeot. Conditions had changed radically on Saturday with heavy snow blanketing the course during the morning. "It is going to be really tough if the conditions change again and if the snow continues to fall." said Loeb. "But victory looks a real possibility. It's a pleasure to be ahead but the rally is not finished." With Finland's Gronholm in superb form to eventually win four of the day's eight special stages, Loeb might do well not to take anything for granted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 7, 2004 Author Share Posted February 7, 2004 Loeb Getting Closer To A Major Feat Sebastien Loeb will face the last leg of the Swedish Rally with a lead of around 40 seconds. Nothing is decided yet, especially with all the unexpected developments that happened throughout the second leg of this tricky race. However, if the positions stay the same, Loeb would accomplish a real feat, a true "first" in the history of the sport. Sebastien Loeb would become the first non-Scandinavian driver to win the Swedish Rally. "Seb" simply magnificent Loeb is not only one of the most talented driver on asphalt, the Frenchman is now able to compete against anybody on every other kind of surfaces as well. While most of his rivals made mistakes at one point or another today, Sebastien has been able to control his car in every situation. On top of that, Loeb has captured three fastest stage times, bringing his lead up to around 40 seconds. An excellent day for the Championship leader and his team, with both Xsaras in the top 5. Carlos Sainz was fourth at the end of leg 1 and then moved up to third in the early part of leg 2 until he went off the road, losing a full minute and 4 positions in the standings. However, the Spaniard decided to charge back through the field and is now fifth, only 8 tenths of a second away from fourth place. Gronholm is undeniably fast Marcus Gronholm was the first leader of the rally but had to let go following mechanical problems (power steering failure). Despite this incident, the Finn continued his race on the attack mode, claiming a impressive number of fastest stage times. The Peugeot driver is now back to second place and was becoming a real threat for Loeb... until a small mistake in SS 12 made him lose an additional 15 seconds. Peugeot are now considering the gap to catch Loeb too important... especially that the team needs to score points and Gronholm is their only chance to increase their championship score. The reason is that Freddy Loix retired today after his Peugeot 307 WRC suffered from engine problems. The Belgian was never completely at ease this weekend, achieving modest results compared to Gronholm. Solberg in a good position Petter Solberg started the day in a dramatic way, going off the road in SS 6 and losing 45 seconds. The Norwegian was not able to reduce to gap over the leader of the race but at least the numerous retirements and incidents pushed him back up to third position. Mikko Hirvonen also made a mistake but the young driver paid a higher price, losing seven minutes in SS 9. The Finn was nonetheless able to reach the end of leg 2 in ninth place. Tuohino saves the day Ford is certainly the biggest loser of the day. The team's lead driver, Markko Martin, was leading the race since SS 3 but made a mistake and went off the road. The Estonian lost six minutes in the situation, falling down to ninth place. Martin finishes the day in eighth place, with no more hope of winning the event. Ford decided to select Janne Tuohino as their second driver to score Constructors' Championship points this weekend. A wise decision by the "blue oval" team since the Finn ends the day in a remarkable fourth place. Francois Duval was mainly taking part in the Swedish Rally to gain more experience. The Belgian lost around 45 minutes when he went off the road in a deserted part of the stage. Mitsubishi out of the race Gilles Panizzi had to retire with transmission problems yesterday. This morning, it was Kristian Sohlberg's turn to end his race for the same reason. Mitsubishi was concentrating on the development work of the new Lancer WRC 04 but the faulty transmissions put an end to their efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 7, 2004 Author Share Posted February 7, 2004 Perhaps premature but on this form Loeb looks the man to beat for the championship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPower Posted February 7, 2004 Share Posted February 7, 2004 yep. He was looking tough last season, and this season could be his. At the very least, he's off to an amazing start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 8, 2004 Author Share Posted February 8, 2004 Latest World Rally Championship standings. Citroen's Sebastien Loeb remains top of the World Rally drivers' championship following the Uddeholm Swedish Rally today, the Frenchman taking the maximum 20 points from the opening two rounds. Marcus Gronholm is his nearest challenger in second, seven points adrift, while Markko Martin is third, a further three behind. Last year's champion, Petter Solberg, is currently fourth in the series'. In the Manufacturers' Citroen go top, to lead Ford by two points, while in the Production Car WRC Jani Paasonen takes ten points following his convincing win, beating Alister McRae by 1min 2.8secs. World Rally Drivers' Championship (after 1 of 16 rounds): 1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 20 points 2. Marcus Gronholm Peugeot 307 WRC 13 points 3. Markko Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 10 points 4. Petter Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 8 points 5. Francois Duval Ford Focus RS WRC 6 points 6. Janne Tuohino Ford Focus RS WRC 5 points 7. Freddy Loix Peugeot 307 WRC 4 points = Carlos Sainz Citroen Xsara WRC 4 points 9. Gilles Panizzi Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 3 points = Henning Solberg Peugeot 206 WRC 3 points 11. Olivier Burri Subaru Impreza WRC 1 point =. Daniel Carlsson Peugeot 206 WRC 1 point World Rally Manufacturers' Championship (after 2 of 16 rounds): 1. Citroen 24 points 2. Ford 22 points 3. Peugeot 17 points 4. Subaru 10 points 5. Mitsubishi 3 points Production Car World Rally Championship (for drivers) (after 1 of 7 rounds): 1. Jani Paasonen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 10 points 2. Alister McRae Subaru Impreza WRX 8 points 3. Daniel Sola Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 6 points 4. Tomasz Kuchar Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 5 points 5. Gianluigi Galli Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 4 points 6. Toshihiro Arai Subaru Impreza WRX 3 points 7. Nasser Al-Attiyah Subaru Impreza 2 points 8. Sergio Lopez-F Fombona Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 1 point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 8, 2004 Author Share Posted February 8, 2004 Loeb Completes Win Double Sebastian Loeb's perfect start to the 2004 World Rally Championship season continued when he triumphed in Sweden. The French driver completed the 19-stage Rally Sweden in an aggregate time of three hours, 26 minutes 17.7 seconds to become the first non-Nordic winner of the event. His Citroen finished 46.4secs ahead of the Peugeot driven by Finland's Marcus Gronholm. Loeb also won the Monte Carlo Rally a fortnight ago and has leapt into a commanding lead after the first two events of the season. Without being spectacular, Loeb did all which was required of him to maintain his overnight lead. Gronholm won three of the day's six stages, but he still lost 5.8secs throughout the day to Loeb. Third place went to Norway's Petter Solberg (Subaru) who likewise maintained his overnight ranking. The top five, in fact, remained in the same order as they had started the day, with Finland's Janne Tuohino (Ford) taking fourth place, ahead of Spain's Carlos Sainz (Citroen) who finished fifth and sixth-placed Norwegian Henning Solberg (Peugeot). Loeb finished sixth on each of the three morning stages, before upping his performance after midday by going fifth-second-second en route to the finish in Karlstad. The main battle throughout the day was for second place, with all drivers down to Sainz in serious contention for the runners-up position at the outset. Gronholm drove expertly though, staving off the threat from Solberg who eventually finished 1:21.5 off Loeb's pace. Loeb now has a maximum 20 points for the season, with Gronholm second in the standings on 13 points. The 29-year-old Loeb, who will have turned 30 by the time of the next rally which takes place in Mexico from March 12-14, finished runner-up to Solberg in last year's drivers' championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPower Posted February 8, 2004 Share Posted February 8, 2004 At least we got some decent points. Burns showed how well consistency of just scoring points can pay off last year. Keep it up Petter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJ20H-TT Posted February 8, 2004 Author Share Posted February 8, 2004 Well it's more point than last year anyway ! The coming gravel rallies will tell the WDC story though. This is where i think the Subaru had an advantage last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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