2002 FIA World Rally Championship
44th Rallye Sanremo, 19-22 September 2002 - http://rally.sanremo.it/
Eleventh round out of 14 in the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship.
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FIA RALLY NEWS
RALLYE SANREMO-RALLYE D'ITALIE
Photos from San Remo:
http://www.wrc-online.net/default.asp?sid=0&pid=14&galleryid=92
[WRC] Rally San Remo 2002: Final Report
Sunday, 22 September 2002
Peugeot driver Gilles Panizzi has won the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Rallye Sanremo, which finished in northern Italy this afternoon. The Frenchman and his navigator, brother Hervé, had led from the second stage on Friday morning and despite suffering from a shoulder injury, he consolidated his advantage throughout the remaining tests. He polished off today's four remaining special stages to win by just over 20 seconds from his team-mate, Marcus Grönholm. The result earned Peugeot another maximum score in the manufacturers' championship to take the team to within a few points of a third successive makes crown, and Grönholm's second overall extended the Finn's lead in the drivers series.
Peugeot
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Gilles Panizzi, Marcus Grönholm and Richard Burns have been reliable today.
Sporting: Gilles Panizzi overcame any nagging pains from his injured shoulder to tick off today's four remaining stages and win the Rallye Sanremo for the third year in succession. The Frenchman and his navigator, brother Hervé, used the split times this morning to ensure that their times matched those of team-mate and closest rival Marcus Grönholm. Grönholm settled for second overall at the finish, extending his advantage in the drivers world championship. Richard Burns, meanwhile, took a few seconds from third-placed Petter Solberg this morning but in the end, the reigning world champion had to settle for fourth overall, a result that moves him up to second in the drivers' standings.
Quotes: Gilles Panizzi said: ãI'm delighted. This was a difficult victory because my shoulder injury made me quite tired and it's always harder to concentrate in that situation. I had a lot of pressure from Philippe Bugalski in the early stages and then Marcus was always there, too. But the car has been perfect for me - everyone in the whole Peugeot team has done a very good job.
Marcus Gronholm said: ãIf it had been wet this morning then maybe I would have had a chance to catch up with Gilles but in the dry, I knew it would be impossible. We're very close to his speed on asphalt but there are just a few places where he still has a little bit more speed. Of course, though, this result is good for me in the championship.
Peugeot Total Team Director Corrado Provera said: ãWe're totally happy. What Gilles and Hervé have done here is quite remarkable, especially with Gilles's injury. The championships are not mathematically guaranteed yet but we would be crazy if we lost them from this position.
Subaru
Technical: The remaining Impreza WRC2002s of Petter Solberg was reliable today.
Sporting: Petter Solberg started today's four stages knowing that he'd need to push to fend off a charging Richard Burns, but fastest time on the day's opening test was probably enough to ease the pressure slightly. Even in this afternoon's warmer conditions, where Solberg felt his Pirellis might lose out against Burns's Michelins, he was able to fend off the Englishman to secure a podium finish.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: ãI'm really, really happy. The first thing is that we've had a clean, reliable run with no problems from the car whatsoever. The second thing is that we've found some improvements in the set-up, just by making small changes as the rally went on, and we gained some more speed because of that. And finally, I'm really glad to have been able to push, get involved in a fight with Richard and still come out with a podium finish. We can take some of what we've learned here to New Zealand and I can't wait for that rally now. This is a really important result for me.
Ford
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Markko Martin and Colin McRae have been reliable today.
Sporting: Markko Martin knew that he'd have to push hard this morning if he was to make any impact on fourth-placed Richard Burns, but when the Englishman eked out a few more seconds in the opening stages, the young Estonian elected to aim for a finish, two drivers' points for himself and three crucial points for Ford in the manufacturers' series. Colin McRae, meanwhile, had little to gain today, since he started this morning more than a minute and a half behind seventh-placed Cedric Robert. As a result, the Scot backed off and cruised towards the Sanremo finish in eighth, scoring two manufacturers' points for Ford but ceding a further six to Grönholm in the race for the drivers' championship.
Quotes: Markko Martin said: ãI'm quite pleased and maybe a little surprised with how well it's all gone here. We clearly found a good set-up for the car and we've had no real problems either. I had hoped to fight Petter because we were on the same pace as him in the early stages but he found more speed and we couldn't match him.
Colin McRae said: ãWe didn't really have anything to gain by taking big risks today so we just had a steady run. The car's clearly better on asphalt, as we've seen from Markko's times, but the gap is still there to the Peugeots. We can just concentrate on trying to win the last three rallies now, because the championship chances are practically gone.
Mitsubishi
Technical: François Delecour's Lancer Evo WRC2 has run without any major problems today.
Sporting: François Delecour adopted a cautious strategy this morning, as the Frenchman aimed for a top-10 finish and a valuable manufacturers' point for Mitsubishi. He duly secured this, finishing 10th overall to lift the Japanese manufacturer above Skoda in the makes' series.
Quotes: François Delecour said: ãWe had to make sure we reached the finish today, because there was the chance of a point for Mitsubishi and maybe we didn't expect to get that on this rally. I'm really happy that we have moved above Skoda now, but at the same time it was frustrating to lose so much time with the turbo problems that we had, because if we hadn't had that then I know we could have been fighting two or three places higher up the field.
Skoda
Technical: The Octavia WRCs of Kenneth Eriksson and Roman Kresta had no problems today.
Sporting: Both of Skoda's drivers, Kenneth Eriksson and Roman Kresta, had little to gain but experience today. But they both knuckled down, experimented a little with driving style and car set-ups and reached the finish. Eriksson, who'd tried to introduce a new driving style for asphalt events, finished 11th, while Kresta gained valuable experience of the Sanremo stages as he claimed 12th.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: ãWe had a clean run today and I've still managed to learn a lot about how differently you can drive on the asphalt. But it's a shame that we haven't been able to score a point for Skoda - we just weren't quick enough to do that. However, there are three good events coming up where the Octavia should be a stronger package. It's New Zealand next and I've won there in the past so hopefully we can have reliability, take advantage of road position and surprise a few people.
Roman Kresta said: ãI found the roads here very difficult. Sometimes the surface has lots of grip and then it will change, even in the same corner, to very slippery. I know I could have been quicker in places but the idea was always to get a good look at the stages and learn more about the Octavia on asphalt, and we've done that.
Hyundai
Technical: Freddy Loix's Accent WRC3 was reliable today, as the Belgian played with anti-roll bar settings after his major time loss yesterday afternoon.
Sporting: After his accident and substantial time loss yesterday afternoon, Freddy Loix knew he'd have to treat today's closing four stages as an extended test session, and that's exactly what he did. The Belgian played with the anti-roll bar settings on his Accent throughout the day, adjusting it between stages to experience as many options as possible. He finished 28th overall.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: ãIt was a shame that we lost so much time in the accident last night - I feel really bad for everyone in the team, because we have clearly made some more progress and found some more performance. Today was all about trying some new things, some different settings and experimenting. After the time loss yesterday, position didn't really matter. I'm not even going to talk about the next round in New Zealand and what we might achieve there - I'm just going to go there, try my best and see what happens.
Other entries
Jesus Puras won a hotly-contested fight to be the top privateer World Rally Car driver on this event. The Spanish champion's Xsara finished sixth overall after he consolidated his overnight placing today. He finished 22 seconds clear of the young Frenchman Cedric Robert, who bagged seventh on his first world championship appearance in a customer-specification Peugeot 206 WRC.
FIA World Junior Championship News
Italian driver Andrea Dallavilla has set up an exciting conclusion to the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, by securing victory in the category on his home round of the series, the Rallye Sanremo. Dallavilla and his co-driver, Giovanni Bernacchini, brought their Citroen Saxo to this afternoon's finish in the coastal resort that lends its name to the event just under 10 seconds clear of their fellow countrymen, Giandomenico Basso and Luigi Pirollo (Fiat Punto). Dallavilla's success lifted him to the top of the series standings with only the Rally of Great Britain remaining. He and Daniel Sola, who lies just a single point behind, with thus fight it out for the title in the Welsh forests in November.
Competition was always expected to be close in Sanremo, particularly in the Junior WRC, where there are several strong Italian drivers. But the early leader wasn't a local - Belgian Ford driver Francois Duval, determined to rebuild his Junior WRC title hopes, grabbed the initial advantage and he led after SS1. However, he was soon swamped by Dallavilla, Nicola Caldani and Basso as they charged ahead to form a thrilling battle for the lead. Dallavilla was the first to shine but as the afternoon progressed, he began to express more and more discontent with his car's handling and Caldani capitalised. He inched clear on Friday afternoon's closing stages to lead by just under four seconds at the end of the opening day. But with Basso less than 11 seconds adrift in third, it was hardly a comfortable position.
Basso started quickest on Saturday morning but it didn't take long for Dallavilla to get into his stride. A switch of shock absorbers and a change of steering rack had transformed his Saxo's handling, and he moved clear of Caldani by lunchtime. Basso's pace was also enough to move him ahead of fellow Fiat driver Caldani, and he kept within 10 seconds of Dallavilla's lead as the afternoon progressed. The top three were also having to keep an eye on series leader Daniel Sola, who was recovering strongly after a first-day puncture, and another Italian, Gianluigi Galli.
Sunday was dry and bright and with only four stages remaining, Dallavilla knew that victory could be his if he staved off an early attack from Basso. He achieved his goal, keeping his lead at around the 10-second mark and eventually winning by 9.5sec. Sola overhauled Caldani in the closing stages to set up a winner-takes-all battle with Dallavilla on the final round of the series in November, while Galli bagged fifth and Duval - who'd struggled with brake and anti-roll bar problems - claiming the final point in sixth.
Others weren't so fortunate. Sven Haaf lost a wheel and went beyond his maximum lateness on the opening day, while Martin Rowe's Puma got stuck in third gear for two stages on the same day. He later slid off the road and out of the event. Niall McShea's Opel lost time with a broken exhaust and then electrical problems that forced the Briton to push his Corsa for more than two kilometres to reach service, and Kosti Katajamaki's VW was forced out by gearbox problems.
At the finish, Dallavilla said: ãI'm obviously very pleased with the result and the fact that it gives us the lead of the championship. This was a really hard fight and I can't think of one place where there was even time to breathe in this battle. It was just full attack from start to the finish, with Basso so close to me even until the last stage this afternoon. Rally GB will not be easy but I have experience of there from last year and it's certainly better to go to the last round one point ahead than one point behind.
Only Dallavilla or Sola can now win the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, which concludes in the slippery forests of south Wales on the Rally of Great Britain on November 14-17.
22/09/2002 RALLY STATISTICS
STARTERS: 36 crews (35 Group A and 1 Group N) started this morning.
RETIREMENTS: 1 non-seeded driver
TODAY:
Sunday 22 September
Leg 3 started from Sanremo at 06h00 and covered 327.28km, including 88.02km on four special stages.
SS15 PANTASINA 1 (25.03km)
1 Solberg (N) Subaru 14m 55.2
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 14m 55.5
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 14m 56.1
LEADERS AFTER SS15
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 3h 31m 13.3
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 3h 31m 36.9
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 3h 32m 12.7
SS16 MENDATICA 1 (18.98km)
1 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 12m 03.0
2= Burns (GB) Peugeot 12m 06.1
2= Panizzi (F) Peugeot 12m 06.1
4 Martin (EE) Ford 12m 11.2
LEADERS AFTER SS16
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 3h 43m 19.4
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 3h 43m 39.9
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 3h 44m 24.9
SS17 PANTASINA 2 (25.03km)
1 Burns (GB) Peugeot 14m 51.4
2 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 14m 52.6
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 14m 53.4
LEADERS AFTER SS17
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 3h 58m 12.0
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 3h 58m 35.5
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 3h 59m 08.3
SS18 MENDATICA 2 (18.98km)
1 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 12m 01.0
2 Burns (GB) Peugeot 12m 02.3
3 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 12m 03.6
LEADERS IN SANREMO AFTER SS18
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 4h 10m 15.6
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot +20.9
3 Solberg (N) Subaru +1m 06.4
4 Burns (GB) Peugeot +1m 18.9
5 Martin (EE) Ford +1m 54.9
6 Puras (E) Citroen +2m 39.3
7 Robert (F) Peugeot +3m 01.3
8 C. McRae (GB) Ford +5m 17.5
9 Rovanperä (FIN) Peugeot +6m 18.9
10 Delecour (F) Mitsubishi +7m 24.4
JWRC LEADERS IN SANREMO AFTER SS18
1 Dallavilla (I) Citroen 4h 28m 26.4
2 Basso (I) Fiat +9.6
3 Sola (E) Citroen +29.7
4 Caldani (I) Fiat +30.1
5 Galli (I) Fiat +2m 08.2
6 Duval (B) Ford +3m 03.0
FINAL RALLY STATISTICS
EVENT: The rally covered 1407.04km, including 385.84km on 18 special stages (nine, all run twice). All stages were on asphalt roads closed to other traffic.
STARTERS: 53 crews (52 Group A and 1 Group N) started the rally
FINISHERS: 36 crews (35 Group A and 1 Group N) finished the rally
STAGE WINNERS:
Panizzi (SS2-3-4-5-6-7-8-10*-12)
Grönholm (SS1-9-10*-11-16-18)
Solberg (SS13-14-15)
Burns (SS17)
*notional time allocated by the organisers
RALLY LEADERS:
SS1 Grönholm
SS2-SS18 Panizzi
FIA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (provisional standings after 11 of 14 rounds):
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers: Grönholm (FIN) 57, Burns (GB) 34, C. McRae (GB) 33, Panizzi (F) 31. Sainz (E) 26, Solberg (N) 23, Loeb (F) 18, Rovanperä (FIN) 18, Mäkinen (FIN) 15, Martin (EE) 12, Bugalski (F) 7, Radstrom (S) 4, A. McRae (GB) 2, Gardemeister (FIN) 2, Thiry (B) 2, Eriksson (S) 1, Puras (E) 1..
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers: Peugeot 131, Ford 86, Subaru 46, Mitsubishi 9, Skoda 8, Hyundai 6.
FIA Junior World Rally Championship (after 5 of 6 rounds): Dallavilla (I) 28, Sola (E) 27, Caldani (I) 13, Tuohino (FIN) 12, Duval (B) 12, Basso (I) 10, Schelle (D) 5, Galli (I) 5, Feghali (RL) 4, Rowe (GB) 4, Baldacci (I) 3, Carlsson (S) 3, Doppelreiter (A) 2, Foss (N) 1, Katajamaki (FIN) 1.
FIA Production Car World Championship (after 6 of 8 rounds, this event not counting): Singh (MAL) 28, Ferreyros (PE) 20, Sohlberg (FIN) 16, Fiorio (I) 13, Arai (J) 12, Trelles (ROU) 12, Iliev (BG) 9, Rowe (GB) 5, Baldini (I) 4 De Dominicis (I) 3, Kollevold (N) 3, Harrach (A) 2, Ligato (RA) 2, Marrini (2).
For more extensive results please consult the FIA Internet site at: http://www.fia.com
NEXT EVENT:
October 03/06 2002: Propecia Rally New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand
Press Officer: Ian Hepenstall,
tel+64 9 2322960 fax+64 9 2760881
e-mail: hepenstall@xtra.co.nz
website: http://www.rallynz.org.nz
[WRC] Rally San Remo: End Of Leg 2
Saturday, 21 September 2002
Frenchman Gilles Panizzi has strengthened his grip on the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Sanremo Rally, which continued in northern Italy today. Panizzi, who is aiming for his third successive victory on the asphalt event, fended off fellow countryman Philippe Bugalski on today's opening stage and then consolidated his advantage once his rival crashed out on the next test. Despite a late scare over tyre choice in the final pair of stages this evening, Panizzi arrived back in Sanremo tonight with a 22-second cushion over his Peugeot team-mate Marcus Grönholm. Subaru's Petter Solberg, however, put in one of the charges of the day and correctly guessed the tricky tyre choice to overhaul reigning world champion Richard Burns for third.
Peugeot
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Gilles Panizzi and Marcus Grönholm have been reliable today. Richard Burns, meanwhile, has encountered no specific mechanical problems, but the reigning world champion did feel that his car's performance improved when he changed turbo boost settings between the day's third and fourth stages.
Sporting: Gilles Panizzi has consolidated his lead today, fending off Philippe Bugalski's privately-run Citroen on the opening stage and then keeping an eye on his team-mates' pace once the Xsara crashed out in SS10. It wasn't without difficulties, though - Bugalski's accident temporarily blocked the stage in front of the leader and he lost over a minute as a result. However, event stewards awarded Panizzi a 'notional' time (that of his team-mate Grönholm) that was considered more representative of his pace, so he was not ultimately disadvantaged by the incident. He then opted for too soft a tyre for the closing two stages but with his team-mates also getting their choices wrong, Panizzi still emerged with a 22-second cushion overnight. Marcus Grönholm had closed the gap to Bugalski before the Frenchman's retirement anyway, but the Finn has been a consistent top-three stage timer today as he pulled away from Richard Burns and kept the gap to Panizzi at around 40 seconds. He closed that to 22 seconds in the final stage of the day. Burns, meanwhile, has tried various changes in his car's set-up as he tried to regain the pace that he showed in the early stages yesterday. A switch of boost settings helped matters in the middle pair of stages, but the Englishman then lost third to Petter Solberg in the last stage of the day, when he was caught out on too soft a compound of tyre.
Quotes: Gilles Panizzi said: ãI'm really happy to still have the lead tonight, to be honest. I said to Herve (his navigator) before the last stage that we'd lose the lead, because we were on completely the wrong tyres and the car was moving around. In fact, I was left-foot braking and I never left-foot brake normally. So I'm quite confident now with 22 seconds over Marcus.
Marcus Gronholm said: ãIt's just a bit of a shame that we lost the time to Gilles yesterday, because if we hadn't we'd be that bit closer and it would be easier to put him under more pressure. As it is, if we have a good stage we can take a few seconds from him but then he has the ability to take that time back in the very next run. I think the clever thing to do tomorrow is to settle for second and take some good points.
Subaru
Technical: The remaining Impreza WRC2002s of Petter Solberg and Achim Mortl have been reliable today, although Mortl damaged his car's bodywork extensively in the accident which ultimately forced his retirement (see sporting).
Sporting: Petter Solberg has charged during today's stages, inching away from Jesus Puras and moving ahead of Markko Martin to put pressure on third-placed Richard Burns. Fastest times in both of the last two stages (thanks to an inspired tyre choice) catapulted the Norwegian into the final podium placing, more than 20 seconds clear of the reigning champion. Subaru lost the second of its Imprezas after this morning's second stage, meanwhile. Achim Mortl knocked the right-rear wheel of his car out of line and then further down the stage, he lost control under heavy braking after a fast straight and slid backwards into a bridge. Mortl reported double vision after the incident so Subaru withdrew him on medical grounds.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: ãI don't think there's much more left! We've played with a few settings this morning and I've been quite pleased by the results, but where there's corner-cutting possible we've been taking quite big chunks, so there's not much more that we can do. Tomorrow the aim is to keep the advantage over Richard, of course.
Ford
Technical: A lack of brake bite in the day's final stage aside, Markko Martin's Focus RS WRC02 has been reliable today, but Colin McRae's car suffered a failure of its differential control box at the start of this morning's second stage. The problem effectively left the Scot with only front-wheel drive exiting tight corners.
Sporting: Markko Martin expected a tough battle today to hold on to his overnight fifth place and even though he was promoted when Philippe Bugalski crashed out, the young Estonian has had to dig deep to compete with the charging Petter Solberg and Jesus Puras. Martin slid into a wall briefly in SS10, and then he felt that the sizeable corner cuts required in SS12 weren't well suited to the Focus. As a result, Martin dropped behind Solberg by the early afternoon but he still remains in touch with the Norwegian and Richard Burns in fifth overall. Colin McRae lost time with differential control problems this morning, but once the Scot got a clean run in SS11 and SS12 he was able to put pressure on Freddy Loix for eighth overall. He grabbed that position when the Belgian slid off on the day's last stage.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: ãThe best we can hope for now - unless someone in front has a problem - is to hold position and score manufacturers points but it's going to be a tall order to score in the drivers' series now.
Mitsubishi
Technical: François Delecour's Lancer Evo WRC2 lost turbo boost in this morning's opening stage when a pipe came loose. The Frenchman was able to rectify the problem before the following 42km test, however. He then chose the wrong tyres for the final pair of tests.
Sporting: Mitsubishi elected to withdraw Alister McRae from the event last night on medical grounds. The Scot crashed while mountain biking last week and he was clearly exhausted by the end of yesterday's action. With little to gain after his self-induced smashed windscreen, McRae flew home this morning to enjoy a couple of extra days' recuperation before he flies on to Rally New Zealand preparations. François Delecour, meanwhile, lost time with a lack of turbo boost in this morning's opening stage but the French driver fixed the problem himself before the following stage and he has kept his Lancer on the fringes of the top 10. The late problems which befell Toni Gardemeister and Freddy Loix were enough to promote Delecour to 10th by the time he arrived back in Sanremo this evening.
Quotes: François Delecour said: ãThe problem this morning was frustrating because we've shown since then that we can do times good enough to fight with the guys who are running near us. I still think that we've made a good improvement with the car for this event - of course there is a lot of work to do, but I believe we've seen a step forward so far.
Skoda
Technical: Toni Gardemeister's and Roman Kresta's Octavia WRCs have been reliable today. Kenneth Eriksson's car has not suffered any serious problems either, although the Swede did complain of a faulty wastegate controller which caused excess turbo lag in SS12.
Sporting: Toni Gardemeister has enjoyed a clean run today and the retirement of Philippe Bugalski and differential problems for Bruno Thiry were enough to ensure that the young Finn had inched into the top 10 by lunchtime. He consolidated that placing this afternoon but in the last stage of the day, he slid off the road and out of the event. Kenneth Eriksson and Roman Kresta have continued to learn as the former tries to introduce a new driving style on asphalt and the latter gains further experience of the Sanremo stages. They arrived back in Sanremo this evening in 11th and 12th respectively.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: ãI've really been trying here to change my driving style because in the past, I've had a reputation for wearing out the tyres earlier than the other guys. I know what I have to do - it's about being smoother into the corners and less aggressive with the steering - but it still takes time. I'm quite pleased, though, with how I'm adapting as the rally continues.
Roman Kresta said: ãIt's like a big school for me here, really. The roads are very difficult, because they can suddenly change from very fast to very twisty. I'm glad that we've had some reliability today, though, because it allows me to have confidence in the car and see how my pacenotes have worked.
Hyundai
Technical: Freddy Loix's Accent WRC3 has been reliable today, although the Belgian still felt that it lacked pulling power in long hills that his car had during the pre-event test.
Sporting: Freddy Loix started today's action in ninth overall and apart from the retirement of Philippe Bugalski, the Belgian was unable to make up any placings. He felt that his car was slower on long uphill stretches than it was during the pre-event test, but Loix was still able to fend off Colin McRae and retain eighth overall as he entered this afternoon's final pair of stages. However, he then slid off on the final stage, hitting a low wall and causing extensive left-rear suspension damage to his Accent. He struggled back to service in Imperia on three wheels and a brake disc, but he'd dropped more than 20 minutes in the incident.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: ãIt was a downhill section and quite slippery, because the surface was a little damp. As I turned into a corner the front wheels slipped, like I was having understeer, but then it found grip and we went straight into the crash barrier. I tried to avoid it but like
Armin (Schwarz) yesterday, we hit a rear wheel and broke a bolt. We strapped the wheel on to get to the end of the stage but we had to go very slowly. It was my mistake and it's a great shame for everyone in the team.
Other entries
Philippe Bugalski's hopes of a privateer entry winning a WRC round outright ended on today's second stage, when he understeered off and damaged one of his Xsara's front wheels and its rear suspension. His Piedrafita 'team-mate' Jesus Puras enjoyed a better day, moving his car into sixth overall, half a minute clear of another privateer World Rally Car, the Peugeot 206 WRC of Cedric Robert. Problems hit Bruno Thiry's private 206, however - he opted for intermediate tyres for the final pair of stages but when the rain failed to materialise, the Belgian dropped to 13th overnight as a result.
Meanwhile, Andrea Dallavilla has finally managed to eke out a narrow advantage in the battle for Junior World Championship honours. The Italian leads his fellow countryman Giandomenico Basso by just under 10 seconds after a change of suspension and steering rack improved his Citroen Saxo. Another Italian, Nicola Caldani, holds third, with series leader Daniel Sola in fourth. The Super 1600 category is actually led by Renato Travaglia's Peugeot. Travaglia, who is not registered for the Junior WRC, assumed the top spot when Simon Jean-Joseph's Renault suffered engine problems.
21/09/2002 RALLY STATISTICS
STARTERS: 43 crews (42 Group A and 1 Group N) started this morning.
RETIREMENTS: A. McRae (GB), Bugalski (F), Mortl (A), Gardemeister (FIN) and 6 other drivers
TODAY:
Saturday 21 September
Leg 2 started from Sanremo at 06h00 and covered 520.83km, including 150.57km on six special stages.
TOMORROW:
Sunday 22 September
Leg 3 starts from Sanremo at 06h00 and covers 327.28km, including 88.02km on four special stages. The first car is expected to arrive in at the finish control in Sanremo at 15h00.
WEATHER FORECAST: Fine, but still with a chance of showers and thunderstorms
SS9 SAN ROMOLO 1 (10.69km)
1 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 6m 45.6
2 Burns (GB) Peugeot 6m 49.4
3 Bugalski (F) Citroen 6m 50.1
LEADERS AFTER SS9
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 1h 43m 24.1
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 1h 43m 46.8
3 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 1h 43m 58.5
SS10 COLLE LANGAN 1 (42.31km)
1 Grönholm (FIN) Citroen 28m 52.8
1= Panizzi* (F) Peugeot 28m 52.8
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 29m 10.8
* notional time applied by Stewards
LEADERS AFTER SS10
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 2h 12m 16.9
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 2h 12m 51.3
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 2h 13m 37.9
SS11 COSIO 2 (19.19km)
1 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 12m 11.4
2 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 12m 12.4
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 12m 16.3
LEADERS AFTER SS11
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 2h 24m 29.3
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 2h 25m 02.7
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 2h 25m 56.6
SS12 SAN BARTOLOMEO 2 (25.38km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 15m 03.3
2 Burns (GB) Peugeot 15m 08.9
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 15m 09.3
LEADERS AFTER SS12
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 2h 39m 32.6
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 2h 40m 13.0
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 2h 41m 05.7
SS13 SAN ROMOLO 2 (10.69km)
1 Solberg (N) Subaru 7m 03.1
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 7m 04.9
3 Martin (EE) Ford 7m 06.9
LEADERS AFTER SS13
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 2h 46m 41.1
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 2h 47m 17.9
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 2h 48m 16.2
SS14 COLLE LANGAN 2 (42.31km)
1 Solberg (N) Subaru 28m 59.9
2 Martin (EE) Ford 29m 13.7
3 Puras (E) Citroen 29m 19.0
LEADERS AFTER SS14
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 3h 16m 17.8
2 Gronholm (FIN) Peugeot +22.1
3 Solberg (N) Subaru +59.7
4 Burns (GB) Peugeot +1m 20.8
5 Martin (EE) Ford +1m 26.8
6 Puras (E) Citroen +1m 52.0
7 Robert (F) Peugeot +2m 23.8
8 C.McRae (GB) Ford +3m 44.3
9 Rovanpera (FIN) Peugeot +5m 17.2
10 Delecour (F) Mitsubishi +6m 03.9
[WRC] Rally San Remo: Leg one report
Friday, 20 September 2002
Frenchman Gilles Panizzi has grabbed the lead of the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Rallye Sanremo, which started in earnest in northern Italy today. Panizzi, who is aiming for a third successive victory on the event, took over the top spot after two of today's eight stages and a string of fastest times moved his Peugeot 206 WRC into a 23-second lead by the end of the day's action. Panizzi's closest rivals have all been in French machinery - his nearest challenger is Philippe Bugalski's privately-run Citroen Xsara, while his Peugeot team-mates Marcus Grönholm and Richard Burns are closely matched as they fight for third. The Finn inched clear of the Briton on today's closing stage.
Peugeot
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Richard Burns and Gilles Panizzi have been reliable today. Marcus Grönholm, however, encountered a loss of boost pressure this morning and he then suffered brake fade and gearbox glitches in the second group of stages.
Sporting: Peugeot driver Gilles Panizzi has been the dominant force during today's stages. Despite the fact that he is still recovering from a shoulder injury, the Frenchman set fastest times on all but one of the day's eight tests to grab the lead and build a 23-second advantage overnight. Team-mate Richard Burns was an early threat, but the Englishman got drawn into a battle with Philippe Bugalski for second overall. By the end of the day, though, the reigning world champion had had to cede that position to his French rival and he then lost third to his recovering team-mate Marcus Grönholm on the day's final stage. Grönholm had led after today's opening test but then the Finn's car lost boost for one test and suffered brake and gearbox glitches for two more.
Quotes: Gilles Panizzi said: ãIt's been going well today and I've got a really good feeling with the car. I know I can attack with it. My shoulder is not a big problem for me at all. I know I can drive at this speed for the rest of the rally without taking risks.
Marcus Gronholm said: ãIt's been a quite frustrating day because I've got a good feeling with the car and I know from the times of Gilles and Richard that we could have been right up there. But we had this loss of boost and then some more problems this afternoon, so we've got a lot of work to do. Already I think we've given away too much time to Gilles.
Ford
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae and Markko Martin have been reliable today. However, Carlos Sainz's example was forced to retire before the day's fourth stage because of an engine oil leak.
Sporting: Markko Martin has been the quickest of Ford's drivers today. The Estonian threw caution to the wind with experimental set-ups and they worked, allowing him to inch into the top six and become involved in a very close fight with Tommi Mäkinen for fifth overall. The Finn's retirement handed that place to Martin, although he has Citroen privateer Jesus Puras breathing down his neck. Colin McRae lost time this morning when he stalled at a hairpin and then suffered two punctures - one in SS2, the other in SS4. The Scot then stalled on the startlines of SS6 and SS7, losing valuable time, and he ended the day in 10th, over a minute off a points placing. The third Focus WRC02 of Carlos Sainz was ninth overall after SS3 but on the way to the next stage, the Spaniard's car suffered an engine oil leak and he was forced to retire.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: ãI think today shows that we're making slow progress with the whole package. It's certainly better than it was before and even after this morning, we found some more improvements in the set-up. The biggest problem today is that we've really only had one clean stage so it's very hard to get into a rhythm in that situation. As for scoring a point, it doesn't look too promising at the moment.
Markko Martin said: ãI wouldn't say I'm surprised but it's certainly nice to be fighting with guys like Petter and Tommi in this sort of position. We had a good set-up which worked well this morning and although I've been pushing hard and maybe slid wide at a few corners, there haven't really een any massive moments. Hopefully we can just keep this sort of form up for tomorrow.
Subaru
Technical: Subaru's Impreza WRC2002s driven by Petter Solberg and Achim Mortl have run reliably today. Tommi Mäkinen was forced to retire, however, when he broke a front-left driveshaft and couldn't fix the problem before the start of SS8.
Sporting: Subaru fine-tuned the settings of the rear differentials on its Imprezas before this event, and the modification has clearly resulted in a car that Tommi Mäkinen relishes. The Finn has been a stronger force today than on recent events, as he has kept his car in the top six for much of the day, embroiled for several stages in a fight with Ford driver Markko Martin. Four-times world champion Mäkinen eventually inched clear this afternoon but then he noticed a broken driveshaft before the start of SS8 and ran out of time trying to fix the problem. His team-mate Petter Solberg has rarely been more than a second or two behind Mäkinen on all stages, but the young Norwegian lost 10 seconds with a jump start penalty and then a similar amount with a spin in SS5. He'll start tomorrow's stages in seventh. The third Impreza driver, Austrian Achim Mortl, has concentrated on building up mileage in the car after his early exit from the Rallye Deutschland last month. He holds 14th overnight.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: ãI don't believe the jump start was right because I've never had a jump start in rallying, ever. It's a shame if we get the penalty because we've been so close to Tommi all day and we've been fighting for points all the time. For sure you can see we're making progress because we're so much closer to the other guys now.
Mitsubishi
Technical: The Lancer Evo WRC of François Delecour was reliable today until the last stage, when it suffered turbo failure. Alister McRae's car smoked badly in its engine bay before SS2 and the Scot has lacked pace thereafter. His team was studying how the Lancer was using less water in its injection system than it should.
Sporting: François Delecour believes that Mitsubishi has found much better low-end torque and response from the Lancer's engine, and the Frenchman has held down a top-10 placing for much of today to prove his point. He lost turbo boost before the day's last stage, though, and that dropped him to 13th overnight. His team-mate Alister McRae has suffered from a mysterious lack of pace today - Ralliart engineers have been investigating why the car has been using less water than normal in its injection system. The Scot's main time loss came when he noticed smoke under the bonnet before one stage, stopped to check the problem and then failed to attach the bonnet pins correctly before the next test. It flew up shortly after the start, smashing the car's windscreen. McRae holds 18th overnight.
Quotes: François Delecour said: ãWe have found some more torque and response in low revs with the engine and it's made quite a big difference. The turbo problem is very frustrating because it's not easy to make up any time here.
Alister McRae said: ãWe saw some smoke coming from under the bonnet so we decided to investigate. I must have forgotten to put the bonnet pins back in properly because shortly after the start, it flew up and obviously damaged the windscreen. It's the sort of thing that I've seen happen plenty of times in the past and I always wondered, 'How on earth did they forget to do that?'. Now I know
Hyundai
Technical: The Accent WRC3 of Freddy Loix has been generally reliable today, although the Belgian insists that its engine has not yet been set up correctly after its turbo failure and subsequent turbo change after yesterday's shakedown. Armin Schwarz's car, meanwhile, was forced to retire with a broken bottom arm in its rear suspension after the German clipped a crash barrier on today's opening stage.
Sporting: Hyundai lost one of its Accents before the end of today's very first stage, when Armin Schwarz cut a corner slightly too tightly and clipped a crash barrier on the inside of the bend. The impact broke a bottom arm in his Accent's rear suspension and he was forced to retire shortly afterwards. Freddy Loix, meanwhile, has been less than satisfied with his car's engine after the team was forced to change the turbo after yesterday's shakedown test. But the Belgian's performance has improved as the day has progressed, and he ended the leg embroiled in a battle with Colin McRae, in ninth overall.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: ãI'm so, so disappointed. It was my mistake. The barrier was on the inside of the corner and I just saw it coming towards the rear of the car. I hoped I might get away with it but I felt it hit the rear wheel rim and then on the next straight, it was clear that we had a problem. There was a bolt broken in the suspension so we couldn't continue. I find it really hard to believe that after all of the work that I've had to do just to get here after my accident in Germany, I've retired so early.
Freddy Loix said: ãWe're improving the car with every service and every chance to look at data but for my view, I don't think the car is quite as fast as it was when we finished the pre-event test. Normally the engineer will sit in at the end of shakedown just to give the final settings for the engine but of course, we weren't able to continue shakedown yesterday so when we started today's opening stage, we did so with a fresh turbo. It's a bit frustrating and bad luck.
Skoda
Technical: The Octavia WRCs of Toni Gardemeister and Kenneth Eriksson have been basically reliable today, although Gardemeister did complain of a lack of compressor pressure in the day's fifth stage. He also broke a front wishbone by clipping a bank at the final corner of the day's third stage but since service followed immediately, he didn't lose any time as a result. The third Octavia, driven by Roman Kresta, suffered from fluctuating front and centre differential pressure in the opening stages.
Sporting: All three Skodas lie outside the top 10 after a difficult day for the Czech manufacturer. Neither of its lead drivers, Kenneth Eriksson or Toni Gardemeister, has reported any significant problem but they'll start tomorrow's second leg in 16th and 12th places respectively. Third driver Roman Kresta holds 17th, meanwhile.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: ãWe're trying hard and the car feels fine but the times just don't seem to be there. On the more aggressive surfaces the car is good but when the asphalt is smooth and shiny then it's very slippery and it moves around a lot.
Other entries
The Xsara WRC of Philippe Bugalski and Jesus Puras might be run by privateer team Piedrafita but they are essentially the same specification of cars which triumphed on the last WRC round in Germany. In Bugalski's hands, the Xsara has proven to be a competitive force today, as the Frenchman has been the closest driver to Gilles Panizzi on a number of stages. He ended the day's action in second overall, 23 seconds off the lead.
Puras lost time with a tardy gearchange in the second group of stages but the Spaniard has also been capable of challenging the factory crews. Despite his problems, he ended the day in sixth overall and closing on Markko Martin. Other privateer World Rally Car drivers to feature strongly included Bruno Thiry (11th overnight) and Cedric Robert (eighth). The Junior World Rally Championship section has witnessed one of its closest scraps of the season, with Italians Nicola Caldani, Andrea Dallavilla and Giandomenico Basso swapping tenths of seconds all day. Caldani emerged from the final loop of stages this evening with an advantage of less than four seconds over Dallavilla, with Basso less than seven seconds further adrift in third. The Super 1600 class is actually topped by two crews not registered for the Junior WRC - Martinique-based driver Simon Jean-Joseph leads in his Renault, ahead of European Championship contender Renato Travaglia.
20/09/2002 RALLY STATISTICS
STARTERS: 53 crews (52 Group A and 1 Group N) started this morning.
RETIREMENTS: Schwarz (D), Sainz (E), Makinen and 6 other drivers
TODAY: Friday 20 September
The second part of Leg 1 started from Sanremo at 06h00 and covered 538.88km, including 147.25km on eight special stages.
TOMORROW: Saturday 21 September
Leg 2 starts from Sanremo at 06h00 and covers 520.83km, including 150.57km on six special stages. The first car is expected to arrive in Sanremo at 20h01.
WEATHER FORECAST: Cloudy, with possible showers
SS1 PASSO TEGLIA 1 (14.44km)
1 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 10m 23.5
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 10m 24.3
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 10m 26.3
SS2 PASSO DREGO 1 (26.46km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 17m 41.9
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 17m 45.6
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 17m 46.6
LEADERS AFTER SS2
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 28m 08.5
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 28m 09.1
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 28m 12.9
SS3 GHIMBEGNA 1 (10.44km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 6m 38.4
2 Burns (GB) Peugeot 6m 40.4
3 Solberg (N) Subaru 6m 41.1
LEADERS AFTER SS3
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 34m 47.4
2 Burns (GB) Peugeot 34m 53.3
3 Bugalski (F) Citroen 34m 55.2
SS4 COSIO 1 (19.19km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 12m 13.0
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 12m 14.4
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 12m 16.0
LEADERS AFTER SS4
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 47m 00.4
2 Burns (GB) Peugeot 47m 09.3
3 Bugalski (F) Citroen 47m 12.5
SS5 SAN BARTOLOMEO 1 (25.38km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 15m 03.7
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 15m 05.0
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 15m 09.8
LEADERS AFTER SS5
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 1h 02m 04.1
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 1h 02m 17.5
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 1h 02m 19.1
SS6 PASSO TEGLIA 2 (14.44km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 10m 19.4
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 10m 19.7
3 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 10m 22.5
LEADERS AFTER SS6
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 1h 12m 23.5
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 1h 12m 37.2
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 1h 12m 47.9
SS7 PASSO DREGO 2 (26.46km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 17m 30.0
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 17m 33.6
3 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 17m 35.1
LEADERS AFTER SS7
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 1h 29m 53.5
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen 1h 30m 10.8
3 Burns (GB) Peugeot 1h 30m 30.5
SS8 GHIMBEGNA 2 (10.44km)
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 6m 40.4
2 Grönholm (FIN) Peugeot 6m 41.6
3 Martin (EE) Ford 6m 42.8
LEADERS AFTER SS8
1 Panizzi (F) Peugeot 1h 36m 33.9
2 Bugalski (F) Citroen +22.8
3 Gronholm (FIN) Peugeot +39.0
4 Burns (GB) Peugeot +42.2
5 Martin (EE) Ford +1m 02.8
6 Puras (E) Citroen +1m 04.7
7 Solberg (N) Subaru +1m 12.4
8 Robert (F) Peugeot +1m 32.2
9 Loix (B) Hyundai +2m 09.0
10 C.McRae (GB) Ford +2m 25.2
Thursday, 19 September 2002
The world's top rally stars will make their final outing of the year on asphalt roads this weekend, when the FIA World Rally Championship reaches its 11th round, the Sanremo Rally in northern Italy. Once a mixed-surface classic that took crews into gravel roads in Tuscany, the event now features an extremely compact layout that comprises just four stretches of road, repeated and reversed, and a single service area in Imperia. Current championship leader Marcus Grönholm and reigning title-holder Richard Burns will start as two of the favourites for the event but most eyes will be on their Peugeot team-mate, Gilles Panizzi. The Frenchman is returning to competition for the first time since a fall at his home damaged ligaments in his shoulder in August, and question marks over his fitness remain as he tries to secure a hat-trick of Sanremo victories. Peugeots aside, likely challengers must include two privately-run Citroen Xsaras for last year's Tour de Corse winner Jesus Puras and Philippe Bugalski, and the Fords and Subarus of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz, and Petter Solberg and Tommi Mäkinen.
Peugeot (1st - 115 points)
Technical: Peugeot has introduced no major technical changes on the 206 WRC for this event, although the team has made a small improvement to the engine, designed to increase torque slightly. All three of the works cars, driven by Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Gilles Panizzi, will use hydraulically-controlled anti-roll bars as this device is now part of the standard 206 WRC asphalt specification. Grönholm has a new seat, designed specifically for his frame.
Sporting: Peugeot has entered three 206 WRCs for this event, to be driven by Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Gilles Panizzi. As the team's asphalt expert, Panizzi will be aiming for his third Sanremo Rally win in succession but he is still recovering from shoulder and ligament damage sustained in a fall at his home in August.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: ãI didn't do any specific test for here but I feel comfortable enough with the car anyway. I like the roads here but the hardest thing is often the conditions, because it's hard to predict from Imperia what we will have in the mountains. I'd rather the conditions were dry or wet, but not a mixture between the two. This morning at the shakedown we were working with my driving position, because I have a new seat that's a better one for me and we had to get it set up correctly with the pedals.
Gilles Panizzi said: ãI have quite good movement with my shoulder but it does get tired after a few kilometres, so the hardest thing for me will be doing good times on the longer stages. If I can do that, then there is a chance to win, but we'll soon know if it's going to be too difficult for me to fight with the likes of Marcus and Richard.
Ford (2nd - 81 points)
Technical: Ford's Focus RS WRC02s are largely unchanged for this event. The team has entered three cars for Colin McRae, Markko Martin and Carlos Sainz. McRae's Focus will be the same machine that caught fire so dramatically when he drove it in Finland last month.
Sporting: Ford sends its three regular drivers - Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin - to this event, and all are nominated for manufacturers' points.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: ãIf the weather here is as unpredictable as usual it will be virtually impossible to predict what will happen. The roads here are very narrow in places and if it gets wet, there are sometimes leaves on the road to make it even more slippery. It'll be a tough rally for Ford.
Colin McRae said: ãI think the situation here could be fairly similar to what we saw in Germany. We've made some small improvements in the car but we haven't made it a whole lot quicker since then. This is a different type of rally, of course - a different character than Germany - but we won't really know how things are going until tomorrow morning. A lot could depend on tyres or on conditions.
Subaru (3rd - 42 points)
Technical: Subaru's Impreza WRC2002s will run in practically the same specification as the one used in Germany last month, although the team has introduced slightly revised braking ducts on the cars.
Sporting: Subaru has entered three works cars for this rally. Regulars Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg will again be joined by Austrian Achim Mortl, who made his debut in the factory team in Germany last month. He will be nominated for manufacturers points alongside the Finn and the Norwegian.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: ãThe test for here went quite well, but a lot will depend on conditions and tyre choices. For us, I think it would suit better if it rained a bit because the chance of making gains with good tyre choices would be better then. The car itself feels pretty good, though - I think we found a good set-up for suspension and differentials in the test.
Tommi Mäkinen said: ãI'd like to think we stand a chance of me winning here again but we won't know if that is possible until we have a good run, look at our times and then look at the times of everyone else, particularly the Peugeots. I had quite a good feeling after the test but you can't be sure.
Skoda (4th - 8 points)
Technical: Skoda's Octavias will feature a slightly different specification of differential from the one used in Germany last month, after a small improvement was found during a short test session. That aside, the three Octavia WRCs will run in essentially the same trim.
Sporting: Skoda has entered three Octavia WRC E3s in Italy, to be driven by Kenneth Eriksson, Toni Gardemeister and young Czech driver Roman Kresta.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: ãWe found a small amount of time in the test, although it was a short test and we did have a few problems. Looking back at previous years here, I always seem to end up fighting for 15th or 20th place so I'm hoping to improve on that this year. It won't be easy, though - the Octavia is a big car and some of the stages are quite narrow, so we'll have to fight hard if we're to get into the position where we can even fight for points.
Mitsubishi (5th - 8 points)
Technical: Mitsubishi Ralliart has worked hard to reduce the weight of its 'Step Two' Lancer Evo WRCs for this rally, and more than 30kg has been trimmed off the cars. That aside, the team has also made gains in differential settings during a lengthy test.
Sporting: Mitsubishi is sending two Lancer Evo WRC2s to this event for its regular drivers, Francois Delecour and Alister McRae.
Quotes: Francois Delecour said: ãI think this is going to be a very hard event for us, because we know from the times in Germany that the Lancer is more at home on wider roads and the Sanremo stages can be very narrow. All we can do is try to have a clean run and get the tyre choices right if the weather becomes unpredictable. If it does, then anything is possible here.
Alister McRae said: ãI'm still lacking in competition mileage with the WRC2 on asphalt, because we had a problem on the first day of Germany and had to retire. This is where you can really learn about the car, though - testing is well and good, but the really good knowledge comes from the rallies themselves. But this is a rally that I enjoy - we won the Formula Two category here as long ago as 1994 - so I'm looking forward to it.
Hyundai (6th - 6 points)
Technical: Hyundai found improvements in the Accent WRC3 engine during recent testing, boosting the car's torque to allow the drivers to stay in higher gears through some corners. The team also worked hard with dampers and suspension settings. This could also mark the first appearance for the Accent with a computer-controlled 'active' rear differential. Both drivers have evaluated the unit in testing and at this morning's shakedown, but a final decision has yet to be taken on whether it will be used in competition.
Sporting: Hyundai sends two Accent WRC3s to Sanremo, to be driven by Freddy Loix and Armin Schwarz. The latter driver has made a rapid recovery from the rib injuries he sustained in his Rallye Deutschland accident, surprising even the Hyundai team doctor with his rate of progress. Loix lost time at this morning's shakedown, meanwhile, when he suffered an underbonnet fire on his Accent, caused when the turbocharger exploded.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: ãThe hardest thing for me here isn't going to be the movement - I've pretty much got the full range back now, thanks to work with my physio. But the body uses all its energy for the healing process and that means that I get tired very quickly. During the test it was tough and then on Monday during the recce, it was very hard indeed. Keeping up my energy levels for concentration is going to be the biggest thing, I think.
Freddy Loix said: ãOur test was very encouraging. The car had a very good feeling in the test, an improvement since Germany in terms of the engine and the suspension. I'm just hoping for a clean run so we can actually see where we are in relation to everyone else.
Other entries
Citroen's factory team has now concluded its seven-event programme for 2002, but two of its current-specification cars will be contesting the Sanremo Rally in the hands of Spanish champion Jesus Puras and Citroen works driver Philippe Bugalski. Run by private team Piedrafita, the two Xsara WRCs are regarded by many as outside bets for overall victory. Other non-works World Rally Cars likely to challenge strongly include Bruno Thiry and Cedric Robert, both of whom will use Peugeot 206 WRCs. Sanremo is the penultimate round of the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, where Spanish driver Daniel Sola will be aiming to consolidate his lead over rivals Francois Duval and Andrea Dallavilla.
19/09/2002 RALLY STATISTICS
EVENT: The 44th Rallye Sanremo is the 11th of 14 events in the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship.
ENTRIES: 58 (55 Group A and 3 Group N)
DRIVERS: Andorra 1, Austria 2, Belgium 3, Czech Republic 1, Estonia 1, Finland 10, France 5, Germany 3, Great Britain 6, Italy 11, Japan 1, Lebanon 2, Norway 3, Paraguay 1, Poland 1, San Marino 1, Spain 4, Sweden 2,
MANUFACTURERS TEAMS: Ford, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Skoda, Subaru.
CARS (including the manufacturers cars): Citroen 8, Fiat 6, Ford 10, Hyundai 2, MG 1, Mitsubishi 4, Opel 2, Peugeot 9, Renault 3, Skoda 3, Subaru 4, Suzuki 3, Toyota 1, Volkswagen 1.
TIMETABLE:
Thursday 19 September
The first part of Leg 1 starts in Sanremo at 20h30 with a ceremonial start only.
Friday 20 September
The second part of Leg 1 starts from Sanremo at 06h00 and covers 538.88km, including 147.25km on eight special stages. The first car is expected to arrive in Sanremo at 20h01.
Saturday 21 September
Leg 2 starts from Sanremo at 06h00 and covers 520.83km, including 150.57km on six special stages. The first car is expected to arrive in Sanremo at 20h01.
Sunday 22 September
Leg 3 starts from Sanremo at 06h00 and covers 327.28km, including 88.02km on four special stages. The first car is expected to arrive in at the finish control in Sanremo at 15h00.
Total
The rally covers 1407.04km, including 385.84km on 18 special stages (nine, all run twice). All stages are on asphalt roads closed to other traffic.
TOMORROW:
Friday 20 September The second part of Leg 1 starts from Sanremo at 06h00 and covers 538.88km, including 147.25km on eight special stages. The first car is expected to arrive in Sanremo at 20h01.
WEATHER FORECAST: Fine and warm, with only a small chance of an occasional shower
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