2002 FIA World Rally Championship
Rallye de France - 46th Inmarsat Tour de Corse
http://www.rallyedefrance.com/
Round 3 of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship
8-10 March 2002
Extract from Official FIA Press Release
www.fia.com
[WRC] Tour De Corse: Panizzi Wins!
OUTRIGHT
1 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 3:54:40,3
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 3:55:20,8
3 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 3:55:32,7
4 Bugalski Citroen Xsara WRC 3:56:42,5
5 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 3:57:08,5
6 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 3:57:13,1
7 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 3:59:48,1
8 Martin Ford Focus WRC 4:00:00,3
9 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC 4:00:54,1
10 A.McRae Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 4:01:12,8
GROUP N
1 Ferreyros Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 4:17:24,9
2 Iliev Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 4:20:36,8
3 Santoni Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 4:21:06,2
4 Rowe Mitsubishi Lancer Ev6 4:24:48,3
5 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 4:26:35,6
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers:
Grönholm (FIN) 18
Mäkinen (FIN) 10
Panizzi (F) 10
Sainz (E) 9
Burns (GB) 7
Loeb (F) 6
Rovanperä (FIN) 6
C.McRae (GB) 4
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:
Peugeot 36
Ford 20
Subaru 16
Mitsubishi 5
Hyundai 1
Skoda 0
FIA Junior World Rally Championship (after 1 of 6 rounds):
Duval (B) 10
Caldani (I) 6
Feghali (RL) 4
Carlsson (S) 3
Doppelreiter (A) 2
Schelle (D) 1
FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars (after 2 of 8 rounds):
Sohlberg (FIN) 10
Ferreyros (PE) 10
Arai (J) 6
Iliev (BL) 6
Rowe (GB) 5
STAGE WINNERS
Panizzi 1,2,3,4,7,8,11,12
Solberg 6, 10
Grönholm 5, 15
Burns 9,14
C.McRae 13
Bugalski 16
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS15 - C.McRae Ford Focus WRC Accident
SS14 - Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC Accident
SS14 - Duval Ford Focus WRC Accident
SS10 - Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC Accident
SS3 - Sohlerg Mitsubishi Carisma GT Accident
SS2 - Kuchar Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
Sunday, 10th March 2002
Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi has claimed the fourth world championship rally win of his career on the Tour de Corse, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, which finished in Corsica today. The Frenchman and his navigator, brother Hervé, finished more than 40 seconds clear of team-mates Marcus Gronholm/Timo Rautiainen as their Peugeot team celebrated a one-two-three result. Reigning world champion Richard Burns and navigator Robert Reid completed the formation finish.
Today's final four stages were held on predominantly dry conditions in contrast to the rain and mist of yesterday. But there was still plenty of late drama on the mountain roads east of Ajaccio. Philippe Bugalski claimed fourth overall in his privately-entered Citroen, but only after Ford's Colin McRae crashed heavily in the penultimate stage. The 1995 world champion was taken to hospital suffering from concussion and a suspected broken finger on a bad afternoon for Ford - Carlos Sainz lost out to a charging Petter Solberg in the closing stages too.
PEUGEOT
Technical: All three 206 WRCs continued to suffer from brake fade today, but that aside, the cars of Gilles Panizzi, Marcus Grönholm and Richard Burns ran without major mechanical problems.
Sporting: Gilles Panizzi consolidated his overnight lead on this morning's opening stages to stifle any possibility of a late charge from either of his team-mates. But then Colin McRae's penultimate stage accident forced the Frenchman to accept a 'notional' time, given by the event stewards. He used Peugeot's split time boards in the last test to make sure that even if he was given the slowest time possible, he'd still finish ahead of Marcus Grönholm and claim his fourth world championship rally win. He had more than 40 seconds in hand at the finish. Grönholm was more concerned with the progress of Richard Burns, since a slightly softer tyre had given the Englishman enough extra speed to narrow the gap between the pair in this morning's stages. But on the return visit to the tests this afternoon, Grönholm fought back by setting fastest time in the day's penultimate test. He eventually finished second, around 12 seconds clear of the reigning world champion.
Quotes: Gilles Panizzi said: "I'm really happy. This is the best victory of my career because we've led right from the start and we've been quick in wet and dry conditions. Apart from the small brake problem we've had such a good set-up that I've been able to attack everywhere. I can't wait for Catalunya now!"
Marcus Grönholm said: "The main aim for me today was to make sure that I got second, because it's very useful for my world championship situation. But it's an amazing rally for Peugeot - to get the top three positions like this is a great result.
Richard Burns said: "It would have been nice to have been challenging Marcus but with the brake problem I wasn't really able to be consistently quick. It's my first podium finish for Peugeot, though, so I'm relatively pleased.
SUBARU
Technical: The sole remaining Impreza WRC2002 of Petter Solberg has been reliable today.
Sporting: Petter Solberg's hopes of charging clear of Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz appeared to have taken a knock this morning - the young Norwegian chose too soft a tyre for the opening pair of stages and he entered the repeat run in seventh. But third fastest time in the penultimate stage and then fifth fastest in the last test were enough to haul him clear of Sainz and with McRae crashing out in SS15, Solberg thus finished fifth to claim four manufacturers' points for Subaru.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "I lost some time this morning because I played safe and went for a wet set-up for the opening two stages. The car was fine but I also think I went a little too soft on tyre choice and I had to think about it over both stages. If you look back at some of the problems we've had - the punctures yesterday, my spin on Friday - then we clearly lost about a couple of minutes, which could have had us right up fighting for podium places. I'm really encouraged by how the rally's gone for us - we've made big improvements over last year and the new Impreza has been very reliable for its first event.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin have been reliable today.
Sporting: Colin McRae expected to struggle against the Xsara WRC of Philippe Bugalski in this morning's predominantly dry conditions, but the Scot moved ahead over the first pair of stages to start the final two tests in fourth overall. But five kilometres into SS15, he was caught out by mud on the entry to a third-gear right-hand bend and slid sideways into a tree. A dazed McRae remained in the car for some time after the accident, before he was airlifted to hospital suffering from concussion and a suspected broken finger on his left hand. Navigator Nicky Grist escaped with just a sore head. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, lost out to Petter Solberg in this afternoon's final two stages - the Spaniard tried everything to keep the young Norwegian at bay but ultimately he had to settle for sixth and three manufacturers' points. The third Focus driver, Markko Martin, has suffered badly from 'flu today but the Estonian still managed to overhaul Armin Schwarz and finish eighth, scoring a manufacturers' point for Ford. Young Belgian François Duval started today's stages in 10th overall but in SS14, a tyre exploded and he slid off the road.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "It was a tough fight this afternoon. We have to find out why our package is not so good in the dry as it is in the wet - I think the driver can make a bigger difference in the wet but there must be something else. I had quite a big moment at the same corner as Colin's accident - it was slippery and I slid very wide but I got away with it.
Nicky Grist said: "It was a third-gear left-hand bend followed immediately by a right, and I think some mud had been pulled out into the road. When we tried to go for the right-hander there was clearly still some mud on our tyres and the car just understeered to the outside of the bend. There was a tree there and it hit the left-hand side of the car pretty hard.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: François Delecour's Lancer Evo WRC has been reliable today, but Alister McRae has continued to struggle with overheating brakes in his car. He also lost time with an ATS mousse insert break-up in the final stage. Both drivers believe the Lancer needs more work to fine-tune handling on the bumpier roads.
Sporting: François Delecour started the closing four stages with little to gain, but he had to fend off Armin Schwarz if he wanted to make eighth place - and a manufacturers' point - his own. He effectively achieved that in the first two stages by extending his advantage over the German to more than half a minute; then Colin McRae's retirement promoted him to seventh and two manufacturers' points. Alister McRae continued to struggle with brake problems today and he lost out to Freddy Loix in the closing stages. The Scot eventually finished 10th.
Quotes: François Delecour said: "Today we found that a slightly softer construction of tyres actually helps our car, because it allows us to keep better contact with the road on the bumpier sections. We still have to find a lot more speed but it's encouraging that we've found an improvement. I'm happy to get a finish in the top ten, though, and to get manufacturers' points for Mitsubishi.
Alister McRae said: "We've still had problems with the brakes today. Although we haven't had as much fade as we did on Friday, I've been modifying my own driving style to try to make things better. But at the end of fast sections when you really need stopping power, I can feel that the brakes aren't quite as strong as I'd like. Obviously we've got a lot of work to do before Catalunya to keep improving our performance.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Freddy Loix felt that his Accent WRC3 was handling badly under braking on this morning's opening stage. Armin Schwarz suffered excessive right-front tyre wear on both SS13 and SS14, meanwhile. He then had to complete the last 31.79km stage with no power steering after it failed just before the start.
Sporting: Armin Schwarz started today's final four stages with hopes of catching François Delecour but instead, an overheating right-front tyre blistered and cost him time on this morning's first two tests. The German tried to find a solution to the problem (it had already occurred earlier in the event) but he'd already lost too much time to Delecour. Then power steering failure for the last stage cost him chunks of time, dropping the former European Champion to 13th at the finish. Freddy Loix lost confidence in his Accent under braking this morning, but the Belgian concentrated on finding a good dry weather set-up for the car
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "It was strange this morning. The car felt quite unstable under braking from virtually the first corner of the first stage. It's easier to set good times with the car in the wet than it is in the dry. It's a shame that we haven't finished in the points with the car on its debut but we've still got a lot to learn about setting it up. I'm hopeful that things will be better in Catalunya.
Armin Schwarz said: "The power steering failed just before the last stage and it was very, very hard work. Of course I'm disappointed to lose so much time near the finish because up to that point, the car had been pretty reliable on its debut. We've still got a lot to learn but I'm pleased at some of the progress that we've made here. Hopefully we can make further improvements to the set-up before Catalunya.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson had to retire his Octavia WRC from the event on today's second stage with gearbox failure. Toni Gardemeister suspected that his differentials weren't working perfectly but that aside, his and Roman Kresta's Octavias ran without major problems.
Sporting: Neither Toni Gardemeister or Roman Kresta had much chance of breaking into the top ten today, so both consolidated their positions and tried to find better set-ups instead. Gardemeister eventually finished 12th, with Kresta more than seven minutes further back in 14th. Kenneth Eriksson retired his Octavia this morning with gearbox failure.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "It's been a difficult event. We've had a few problems but also it's been hard to get a good set-up for the sort of mixed conditions that you get here in Corsica. We've learnt some things about the suspension and the differentials and hopefully we can build on that.
Roman Kresta said: "I'm just glad to get a finish here. This is my first time in Corsica and I've had to learn how the car behaves on the roads here, and try to guess what settings to take in the changing weather. It's been good experience for me.
OTHER ENTRIES
Philippe Bugalski continued to experiment with his privately-run Xsara WRC today, as the double Corsica winner tried to find a satisfactory dry-weather set-up in preparation for the Catalunya Rally. He lost confidence in the car's handling this morning and dropped behind Colin McRae into fifth, but a change of settings brought improved performance over the last pair of stages and fastest time in the closing test - plus McRae's retirement - brought him fourth overall at the finish.
In the Group N category for more standard vehicles, Peru's Ramon Ferreyros was a comfortable class winner in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7. He finished more than three minutes clear of the similar car of Dimitar Iliev, with Jean-Marie Santoni third in another E7 Lancer. The Frenchman was not registered for the Production Car World Championship, though, so fourth-placed Martin Rowe (driving an older Evo 6 model Mitsubishi) claimed third-placed points in the series.
[WRC] Tour De Corse: End of Leg 2
END OF LEG 2
OUTRIGHT
1 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 2:45:22,2
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 2:46:03,9
3 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 2:46:24,3
4 Bugalski Citroen Xsara WRC 2:47:21,7
5 McRae Ford Focus WRC 2:47:27,2
6 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 2:47:42,4
7 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 2:47:46,5
8 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 2:49:14,3
9 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC 2:49:39,9
10 Duval Ford Focus WRC 2:49:56,8
GROUP N
1 Ferreyros Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 3:00:55,7
2 Iliev Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 3:03:33,3
3 Santoni Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 3:05:49,4
4 Rowe Mitsubishi Lancer Ev6 3:07:30,9
5 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 3:11:17,8
STAGE WINNERS
SS6 - Solberg, SS7 - Panizzi, SS8 - Panizzi, SS9 - Burns, SS10 - Solberg, SS11 - Panizzi, SS12 - Panizzi
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS2 - Kuchar Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
SS3 - Sohlerg Mitsubishi Carisma GT Accident
Saturday, 9th March
Frenchman Gilles Panizzi holds a dominant position in the lead of the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Tour de Corse, which continued in Corsica today. The Peugeot driver and team mates Marcus Gronholm and Richard Burns have maintained a clean sweep of the podium placings throughout much of today's action, although damper conditions did allow Subaru's Tommi Makinen to briefly move ahead of Burns in third. The reigning world champion soon reclaimed the position, though, and Makinen retired shortly afterwards when he crashed and damaged his car's suspension beyond repair.
Ford's Colin McRae has used his improved car performance in the damp conditions to move into the top six. The Scot now lies just 5.5s behind fourth-placed Philippe Bugalski (another driver to show increased speed today). But even their battle is nearly a minute adrift of Burns with just tomorrow's four stages remaining.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRC of Marcus Gronholm has been reliable today, but Gilles Panizzi and Richard Burns did complain of a loss of brakes towards the end of SS9. The problem recurred for the Englishman in the last three stages of the day.
Sporting: Gilles Panizzi and Marcus Gronholm both opted for an intermediate tyre on this morning's opening, long stage but the Frenchman survived a puncture to post the faster time and extend his overnight lead over his team-mate. Thereafter, last year's Sanremo Rally winner then set four fastest times in six stages as he built up a cushion of more than 40 seconds by the end of SS12. Gronholm has encountered no problems and the 2000 world champion remains a comfortable second, 20.4s ahead of his nearest rival. The third 206 WRC driver, Richard Burns, lost his overnight third position on the first stage this morning when he opted for cut slick tyres. He fought back, posting the fastest time in SS9 to retake the final podium placing from Tommi Makinen before second service. Brake problems prevented him from challenging Gronholm seriously this afternoon, however.
Quotes: Gilles Panizzi said: "The car has been perfect today - it's easy to drive and that means I can push, push, push! I don't think I've attacked this hard in wet conditions since I drove a Peugeot 309 in the French championship - and that was a long time ago! It's looking good but we still have four stages to go and with the weather changing we must keep concentration.
Richard Burns said: "Apart from the tyres this morning, the only real problem has been the brakes - I don't know why they're fading in the wet when there was no problem in the dry, but at the end of the long stages the pedal's virtually at the floor.
SUBARU
Technical: The Impreza WRC2002s of Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg have been generally reliable today. The Norwegian's only real problem was a right-front puncture for much of SS9.
Sporting: Both Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg got off to a flying start this morning thanks to choosing the correct tyres for the opening 36km stage. The two Impreza drivers opted for cut slicks and they set first and second times on the test. Their pace was enough to move Solberg ahead of Carlos Sainz into fifth, and Makinen clear of Richard Burns in third. But as conditions got wetter still the two drivers elected to use softer compound Pirellis for the following three stages and it proved the wrong choice. Lack of pre-event testing in damp conditions compounded the problems, as Makinen slipped behind Burns again and Solberg - troubled by a puncture in SS9 as well - fell to seventh. Makinen then slid off and damaged his car's suspension beyond repair in SS10. Solberg's afternoon got worse, too - he stalled on the start line of SS11, then had a left-rear puncture for more than half of SS12 and lost the tyre for the last few kilometres. He ended the day in seventh, just over four seconds behind Sainz.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "There was a 40-metre straight before a right-hand bend, and there was water running down the road under the trees. We couldn't see the water and when we tried to brake, the car lifted itself onto the water and we were passengers. We went off and hit some rocks on the outside of the corner and broke the left suspension. It seems this rally is not a good one for me, but I can just try to make it better in Catalunya.
Petter Solberg said: "It hasn't been the best of days, really. We had a couple of punctures and then I stalled on the start line as well. We could be higher up - the opening stage this morning showed we have the speed.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae and Markko Martin have been reliable today.
Sporting: It took time for either Carlos Sainz or Colin McRae to capitalise on the damp conditions they'd prayed for this morning. Both drivers chose the wrong tyres for the opening stage - Sainz dropped behind Petter Solberg, while McRae ceded a place to Philippe Bugalski. Things improved for the pair in SS7, SS8 and SS9, though, with at least one of the pair featuring in the top three on each stage. Sainz hit trouble in the last three stages, though, when he couldn't get confidence in the tyres. He dropped time to Bugalski and McRae as a result, and ended the day in sixth. McRae benefited from his team mate's problems but the Scot was closer to the pace than before in any case - he set second fastest time on the last stage of the day to end the second leg in fifth, just five and a half seconds off Bugalski. The third Ford driver, Markko Martin, has struggled to gain experience of the Pirellis and the Focus on damp roads. He holds 11th overnight. Young Belgian François Duval was actually the fastest Ford in SS6, but a puncture in SS8 and a misted screen for the last three tests undid all of his good work. He occupies 10th in his 2001 specification car.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "We have to find out why this whole package works well in the wet and doesn't in the dry. You can't just point the finger at tyres, either - the Subarus weren't exactly slow in the dry. If conditions stay like this then we can push Bugalski - if they dry out, we have to work out who we can stay ahead of. It's that much of a reversal."
MITSUBISHI
Technical: The Lancer Evo WRCs of François Delecour and Alister McRae have been reliable today.
Sporting: Mitsubishi is still learning about the Lancer Evo WRC in damp conditions but it already seems clear that the still-new car is more competitive in the wet than in the dry. As conditions deteriorated today, François Delecour in particular managed to inch his Lancer towards the top ten and by the close of today's action, he'd moved into eighth. He and Alister McRae continued to struggle with the car's handling, particularly under acceleration, but the Scot has improved his overnight position too - he now holds 12th, less than a minute behind his team-mate.
Quotes: François Delecour said: "We're making slow progress with fine tuning the car set-up, and it's better today. In the middle group of stages, I went very cautious at the start because I was afraid that my tyres would go off, but in the end they were fine.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Armin Schwarz's Accent WRC3 has been reliable today, but Freddy Loix hit hydraulic problems as soon as he left service for today's opening stage. The Belgian thus had to complete the 36km with low pressure in his front differential and he lost around half a minute as a result. His problems were made worse by far too hard a tyre compound, too.
Sporting: Armin Schwarz spun on this morning's opening stage but that aside, the German has enjoyed a competitive day. Some top ten times moved the German into the top ten by the end of SS12 - he'll start tomorrow's final four stages in ninth overall. Freddy Loix lost time with differential problems and too hard a tyre compound in this morning's opening stage but thereafter, the Belgian has been able to swap seconds with his team-mate in most tests. He ended the day in 13th.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: "It's been going okay today - we chose the right tyres for the middle three stages and they worked well, although there was some standing water near the end of SS9 and we had a few exciting moments with aquaplaning. As for the spin in SS6, it was my fault. I was a bit too optimistic on the handbrake, the back came round and although I then tried to spin all the way round it just didn't happen. We're learning so much - I've played with the differential settings in every stage this afternoon - sometimes I've been using three or four 'maps' in one test.
SKODA
Technical: The Octavia WRCs of Toni Gardemeister and Roman Kresta have been reliable today. But Kenneth Eriksson continues to suffer from excessive pressure in his centre differential - the Swede has been complaining of understeer.
Sporting: Toni Gardemeister felt that he got his tyre choice correct this morning, and despite backing off too much because of concerns over wear, he still moved up the leaderboard. The young Finn even broke a rim and punctured in SS9 but Michelin's ATS mousse system intervened to prevent serious time loss. Gardemeister arrived back in Ajaccio tonight in 14th overall. Team-mate Roman Kresta lost time by choosing slicks for the middle group of three stages and he suffered a puncture in the last stage of the day but the Czech driver continues to gain experience of the Corsican roads in 17th overall. Kenneth Eriksson has struggled with differential problems, but the Swede moved ahead of Kresta in the closing stages to hold 16th overnight, when the Czech got a four-minute penalty for a delayed start.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "I was worried that on the intermediate tyres we'd have bad tyre wear, so I backed off a bit on the first and third stages of the middle group. But when I got to the finish the tyres were fine, so I know I could have pushed a bit harder. I'm still getting good experience of what the Corsican roads are like in the damp.
OTHER ENTRIES
A change of differential and consistently good tyre choices have transformed Philippe Bugalski's rally. The Frenchman, driving a privately-run Citroen Xsara WRC, benefited from Tommi Mäkinen's retirement but on pace alone he moved clear of Petter Solberg, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae to hold fourth overnight. Other leading privateer World Rally Car drivers haven't been so lucky - Bruno Thiry's Peugeot 206 succumbed to transmission problems in SS10 while Achim Mortl's similar car hit electrical problems in the day's opening stage. Harri Rovanperä's Bozian Racing-run 206 has struggled today, meanwhile. The Finn has been troubled by suspension settings, understeer and tyre choice, and he ended SS12 in 15th.
In the Group N category for more standard vehicles, Ramon Ferreyros now holds a dominant lead after his nearest rival, Hamed Al Wahaibi, hit trouble this morning. The Oman driver slid off for six minutes in SS9, then hit a wall shortly after he regained the stage. The resulting damage to his steering left his Lancer crippled but he almost made it back to service before grinding to a halt only a few hundred metres from the time control. Ferreyros's closest challenger is now Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev, although the 26-year old is more than a minute and a half adrift. Frenchman Jean-Marie Santoni holds third in the Group N category, but he is not registered for the FIA Production Car World Championship - Briton Martin Rowe will thus claim third-place points if he can hold his overnight position. Italian driver Norberto Cangani started today's action with hopes of challenging Rowe but he crashed heavily in SS9. He was taken to hospital following the accident.
[WRC] Tour De Corse: End of Leg 1
END OF LEG 1
OUTRIGHT
1 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 1:02:28,5
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 1:02:31,5
3 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 1:02:53,6
4 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 1:03:07,8
5 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 1:03:17,9
6 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 1:03:29,0
7 McRae Ford Focus WRC 1:03:32,2
8 Bugalski Citroen Xsara WRC 1:03:41,5
9 Martin Ford Focus WRC 1:03:42,3
10 RovanperaPeugeot 206 WRC 1:03:54,5
GROUP N
1 Ferreyros Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 1:07:54,6
2 Al WahaibiSubaru Impreza 1:07:55,7
3 Iliev Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 1:08:40,5
4 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer Ev7 1:08:59,1
5 Rowe Mitsubishi Lancer Ev6 1:09:47,2
STAGE WINNERS
SS1 - Panizzi, SS2 - Panizzi, SS3 - Panizzi, SS4 - Panizzi, SS5 - Gronholm
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS2 - Kuchar Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
SS3 - Sohlerg Mitsubishi Carisma GT Accident
Friday, 08th March 2002
Peugeot drivers hold the top three positions at the end of the opening day of the Tour de Corse, the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Frenchman Gilles Panizzi and his navigator, brother Hervé, enjoy a narrow overnight lead over the team-mate Marcus Grönholm. Reigning world champion Richard Burns is third.
Today's five stages to the east of Ajaccio looked set to be held in dry conditions but as is often the case, the fickle Corsican climate had other ideas. Many of the crews had to tackle SS4 in light rain and for the last test, only the first couple of cars got away with even damp conditions as heavy rain began to fall. Panizzi's advantage was slashed by Grönholm as a result.
The event already looks set to host a scrap between the Peugeots and Subarus, since the 206s' nearest challenger is Finn Tommi Mäkinen (Subaru Impreza). However, the Ford of Carlos Sainz occupies fifth and both he and team-mate Colin McRae will be hoping that the damp conditions will continue tomorrow, since it should suit their Focus/ Pirelli package better.
PEUGEOT
Technical: Gilles Panizzi's 206 WRC has been reliable today, but his two team-mates have had minor problems. Marcus Grönholm's car lost its alternator belt for the last 12km of the day's longest stage, SS3, while Richard Burns had an ATS mousse insert break-up in the same test.
Sporting: Gilles Panizzi charged into the rally lead on this morning's opening stage and thereafter, the Frenchman posted a string of fastest times to extend his advantage to 16 seconds by the end of today's fourth test. Heavy rain fell as the last stage was running, though, and that cost Panizzi time - he ended the day just three seconds ahead of team-mate Marcus Grönholm. Running first on the road, Grönholm had benefited from slightly cleaner roads this morning to keep his 206 in the top three, and despite a scare with a broken alternator belt the former world champion made second his own by early afternoon. He enjoyed slightly drier roads in SS5 and posted fastest time to close the gap to Panizzi. Richard Burns has continued to acclimatise to the 206 WRC on dry asphalt, and the reigning world title-holder holds the final podium position overnight after third-placed Petter Solberg spun in SS4. Like Panizzi, Burns lost time in the rain in SS5 and he lies more than 20 seconds adrift of Grönholm.
Quotes: Gilles Panizzi said: "It's been going very well today, with no major problems. We found a good set-up for the 206's suspension at the pre-event test, and that makes it easy to drive. It feels much better than it did in Monte Carlo and when I'm comfortable with the time, I can push hard. We tried to build up a good lead over everyone but in the last stage in particular, we had heavy rain and Marcus didn't. That cost us quite a lot of time. But I'm still confident.
Marcus Grönholm said: "I'm quite pleased with my speed here. When the alternator belt broke I did feel the car lost a little power and it lost me a bit of concentration. It was also lucky for us that it didn't happen in the dark! With this sort of speed we can certainly fight for a podium finish. The last stage was tricky for me but for sure conditions got worse for the guys behind.
Richard Burns said: "I'm reasonably happy with how it's been going. We've been looking at the data and I can see where Gilles is that little bit faster than me - he's just a little earlier on the power in corners. I could possibly go a little quicker but I wouldn't have to push much harder before I'd be taking fairly big risks. It's a shame that Marcus got a better run in SS5 because otherwise we'd be right up with him.
SUBARU
Technical: The Impreza WRC2002s of Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg have been generally reliable on the car's first day of competition.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen's event got off to a bizarre start when he realised that he hadn't completed all of the first stage during the recce. The Finn - using last year's pacenotes - had to complete a further two or three corners at reduced speed before he actually passed through the timing beams, so he lost a few seconds. Then at the start of SS2 he felt he had jumped the start and backed off as a result - again, the problem cost him a couple of seconds. He wasn't able to increase his pace much in SS3 but the four-times world champion still held fifth overall by the end of the day. Petter Solberg suffered no such worries - the young Norwegian chose a harder tyre compound than Mäkinen this morning and even though he felt it might have been too hard to SS1, he posted second fastest time on that stage and arrived back in the first main service of the day in third overall. Second fastest time in SS3 consolidated that placing but in SS4, Solberg spun, clipped a bank and broke a rear suspension link. He lost nearly a minute as a result, dropping to sixth overnight.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "I'm quite happy, really. We're still here and that's a very different situation to when we had the accident last year. We've made a few small mistakes here and there today, but we're still in the fight, so I'm pleased. This morning's problems were just silly - in the second stage I thought I might have jumped the start and I just lost concentration for the first few kilometres as a result.
Petter Solberg said: "In the last stage I got caught out by some gravel and we spun, and hit a bank. We broke a rear link and the real time loss came in just getting to the end of the stage with the left-rear wheel sitting back in the arch and hanging loose. I tried to repair it before the last stage but it was only half a fix, really. It's disappointing - I was trying to put in a charge to get a good position for tomorrow but it went completely the other way.
FORD
Technical: Carlos Sainz's Focus RS WRC02 hit gearbox problems on the start line of today's first stage. The Spaniard found himself in neutral, despite every indication that the car had successfully selected first gear. The problem cost him about five seconds, and then re-appeared on the start line of SS2. The car's gearbox was changed at first service as a precautionary measure. Colin McRae and Markko Martin have reported no major problems on their cars today, though.
Sporting: Ford had hoped for damp roads to help the Focus/Pirelli package in Corsica, but they got dry asphalt this morning instead. As a result, both Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz have struggled to match the pace of the Peugeots and the Subarus. Sainz wasn't helped by gearbox problems that cost him around 10 seconds this morning. He then punctured a tyre by cutting a corner in SS3, but Pirelli's EMI mousse system cut in to limit the time loss. The Spaniard was slowed by the SS5 rain, but he still ended the day in fifth overall. McRae has felt his car lacking lateral grip throughout today's stages, but the Scot still posted top ten times to keep the points positions in sight. He arrived back in Ajaccio this evening in seventh position despite losing five seconds when he stalled on the start line of SS5. The third Focus driver, Markko Martin, holds ninth after a trouble free day.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "The gearbox problem was annoying - especially since it was on the line of the first stage - but even though we didn't lose much time in SS3 with the puncture our time wasn't so good.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: The Lancer Evo WRC of Francois Delecour has been reliable today, but team-mate Alister McRae hit brake problems for much of the afternoon. The Scot's front brake discs both cracked near the start of the day's longest test, SS3, leaving him short of stopping power for much of the 36km. He then felt that the front brakes were overheating again during the closing pair of stages.
Sporting: Francois Delecour and Alister McRae have both fought hard to keep their Lancers in the top ten today, but ultimately neither succeeded in doing so. Delecour came closest - he arrived back in Ajaccio in 11th. But persistent brake problems slowed McRae this afternoon and he ended the day in 18th overall.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "It's been a bit of a frustrating day, really - we had bad understeer this morning and then in SS3, the brakes went very near the start and every time you built up any speed, it just didn't want to stop once you got to the next corner. They started to overheat in the last two stages too - if they'd been longer, we'd have had the same problem as in SS3.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Tomasz Kuchar was forced to retire the third Accent on this morning's first stage. The Polish driver's throttle stuck open and although he nearly reached the end of the stage, the strain on the car's brakes proved too much and they caught fire. He stopped to extinguish the flames and reached the end of the stage but with no brakes left he was forced to retire. The Accent WRC3s of Freddy Loix and Armin Schwarz have been reliable today, though.
Sporting: Armin Schwarz is the top Hyundai driver overnight, despite a right-front puncture that cost him a chunk of time in SS3. Team mate Freddy Loix has improved his pace throughout the day after he was dissatisfied with his own performance this morning. He holds 14th overnight. Tomasz Kuchar never got a real chance to impress, meanwhile - a sticking throttle forced him to retire in SS1.
Quotes: Tomasz Kuchar said: "The throttle blocked about four kilometres into the first stage and then the brakes overheated and caught fire. We had to stop and put out the flames - then we managed to restart but it wasn't possible to continue.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson's and Roman Kresta's Octavia WRCs have been reliable today, but Toni Gardemeister has been less than satisfied with his car's handling. The young Finn experimented with shock absorbers and dampers as he tried to improve the car's handling on bumpier roads. He also felt that the car's engine was lacking response.
Sporting: Despite concerns about his Octavia's handling, Toni Gardemeister has tried hard to keep his car inside the top 15 today. A puncture on SS4 hampered him, though, and he eventually arrived in Ajaccio in 17th. Both of the other Skoda drivers have struggled. Roman Kresta holds 19th on his first visit to the event, while Kenneth Eriksson lost time in SS1 with a puncture and he occupies 20th overnight.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "The guys who get the cleaner roads are definitely going to go faster. The first stage this morning, in particular, was very dirty. On the bumpier stuff we've been bouncing around, so I don't think the rebound is correct
OTHER ENTRIES
Philippe Bugalski had been touted as a potential winner in his privately-run Citroen Xsara, but the Frenchman dropped half a minute to the leaders on the opening pair of stages. He was unable to explain why, but a change of exhaust parts and a slight adjustment to the differential catapulted him further up the timesheets. Second fastest time in SS3 helped him as he moved up to eighth. Other privateer World Rally Cars to feature strongly included Harri Rovanperä (tenth) and Bruno Thiry (13th).
In the Group N category for more standard vehicles, Peruvian driver Ramon Ferreyros holds a 1.1-second cushion over Hamed Al Wahaibi. The pair have rarely been separated by more than a few seconds all day, and their battle has taken them more than half a minute clear of the third-placed driver in the category, young Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev. However, the leader in the FIA Production Car World Championship has already retired - Kristian Sohlberg crashed out in SS3.
[WRC] Tour De Corse: Welcome
After icy asphalt and snow, the FIA World Rally Championship switches to the daunting roads of Corsica for its third round, the Tour de Corse, which starts from Ajaccio tomorrow morning. The Mediterranean island's mountain roads are notoriously twisty and feature some of the biggest drops in the entire world championship, and nerves will be strained further by the fact that the event should mark the first true benchmark on asphalt this season. The generally unpredictable Corsican weather always has the potential to turn the event into a lottery, however.
Peugeot's Gilles Panizzi has a formidable record on asphalt and the Frenchman has been tipped by many to give the current manufacturers' series leaders their second win in a row, but he is likely to face stiff opposition from other factory entries - and the privately-run Citroen Xsara WRC of Philippe Bugalski. The former French champion's car will run in a similar specification to the Xsara that took Jesus Puras to victory in Corsica less than six months ago. There are unknown quantities in the manufacturer ranks, however - both Subaru and Hyundai launch their latest evolution models on this event.
PEUGEOT (1st - 20 points)
Technical: Peugeot has made no significant changes to the 206 WRCs for this rally - indeed, all three of the factory cars have been used before and Marcus Grönholm will be driving the same 206 that brought him victory in Finland last year. All three 206 WRCs will use completely 'active' differential systems, while Richard Burns's and Gilles Panizzi's cars are almost certain to start with hydraulic anti-roll bars. Peugeot engineers have made some changes to Burns's seating position and the floor height of his car, as they try to make the reigning world champion more comfortable in the 206.
Sporting: For the world championship's return to asphalt, Peugeot has brought back French specialist Gilles Panizzi for this event. The former Sanremo and Corsica winner will team up with Richard Burns and Marcus Grönholm. The team's fourth regular driver, Harri Rovanperä, will use a 206 WRC run by private team Bozian.
Quotes: Richard Burns said: "We actually discovered that when I was braking, the heel of my foot wasn't touching the floor which lost me another 'point of reference' with what the 206 was doing beneath me. The team have made adjustments to the seat, of course, but they've also tried to raise the floor slightly to improve the feedback. I'm not sure what's possible here - if it stays dry then the easier a car is to drive, the better, because you'll be able to stay totally committed when you need to.
Marcus Grönholm said: "The car feels good here, but I don't know if it will be possible to fight for the win. I think Gilles and probably Philippe Bugalski will be too fast for me. But as for the rest, I think we can possibly fight for a podium finish.
Ford (2nd - 16 points)
Technical: Ford sends three previously-used Focus WRC02s to this event, although the team has made some of the planned changes to the car. Most modifications have centred on saving weight, with the biggest benefit coming via a lightened cross member. Other changes - including a new roll cage and the much-publicised 'lowering' of Nicky Grist's seat - McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin. A fourth 2001-spec car will be driven by young Belgian François Duval.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "Rain would be a help to us here but it doesn't look as though we're going to get it. The car is definitely better on asphalt than it was late last year, but a lot will depend on the tyres as well. If conditions are good for us then we can challenge, but if not then it will be difficult.
Colin McRae said: "We've made some improvements to the car's suspension and it's handling a bit better now on asphalt. We're still getting used to some of the new Pirelli tyres but we'll just have to wait and see how they compare to the rest before we know if we can really fight here or not. I think some points from this event would be a good result for us.
SUBARU (3rd - 12 points)
Technical: Subaru introduces the latest version of its Impreza World Rally Car in Corsica. Described by the team's technical chief David Lapworth as 'an evolution, not a revolution', the WRC2002 features four main changes in the engine bay. The exhaust manifold's position has been altered slightly to boost power, while there are also modifications to the turbo housing, flywheel (now lightened) and the water injection system. Subaru has also altered the 'splitter lip' at the front of the car - the new design gives a slight improvement in aerodynamics but is mainly designed to be more resilient when cars cut corners.
Sporting: Subaru enters two Impreza WRC2002s in Corsica, for regular drivers Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg. Mäkinen is again navigated by Kaj Lindstrom, since his usual co-driver Risto Mannisenmaki continues to recover from the injuries he sustained in their accident in Corsica last year. Mannisenmaki will sit in a rally car again for the first time on a Catalunya Rally test immediately after this event, but it's still unclear if he will return to competition in Spain.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "The new car gives me a good feeling - it's just a little bit better in a few areas. The difference is very small but there is definitely an improvement and that's the important thing. A lot will depend here on how the Pirelli tyres work against the Michelins, and how the weather develops over the weekend.
Petter Solberg said: "The car is just a small difference over the old one there's no such thing as making big gains these days, so we didn't expect it. But I can feel some changes in how it handles and how the engine responds. I'm looking forward to this event.
MITUSBISHI (4th - 3 points)
Technical: Mitsubishi Ralliart makes few changes to the Lancer Evo WRCs for this event - during extensive pre-event testing, the team has concentrated on fine-tuning the car's suspension and damper settings. Both Alister McRae and François Delecour have given positive feedback on the changes, although both admit that more work is necessary. McRae gets a brand new car for Corsica
Sporting: After fielding three cars in Sweden, Mitsubishi reverts to its regular two-Lancer line-up for Corsica, with Alister McRae and François Delecour behind the wheel.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "It's hard to say what we can achieve here - obviously we were closer to the pace in Sweden than we were in Monte Carlo, but we're still learning a lot about the car on dry asphalt so it'll be hard to challenge. We've made some improvements but other teams are introducing virtually new cars here, so we'll have to wait and see how we compare to them
François Delecour said: "The car is feeling better now than it has done on asphalt before - it's still not perfect and we have a lot of work left to do, but the work on the suspension has made it more stable over the bumpier sections. The areas where we need to work are on turn-in, because there's still a bit of understeer, and in the engine response.
HYUNDAI (5th - 1 point)
Technical: Hyundai introduces the latest evolution of its Accent World Rally Car in Corsica. The team hopes that the Accent WRC3 will be a major step forward over its predecessor - more than 80 percent of the car is revised or new. Major modifications include work on the engine to improve the airflow and the turbocharger's performance. The engine's internal parts have also been lightened to reduce inertia. Drivers have reported better power, more torque and a wider powerband as a result. Hyundai's rally partner Motor Sport Developments has also revised the Accent's suspension geometry to make the car more stable, and improved brake effectiveness and cooling.
Sporting: Hyundai fields three Accent WRC3s in Corsica - regulars Armin Schwarz and Freddy Loix are joined by former Polish F2 champion Tomasz Kuchar on his first outing in a factory team. The 25-year old will tackle a four-event programme with Hyundai this season. Loix has achieved his goal of appearing in Corsica without the need for either crutches or extra protection around the foot that he injured in a Monte Carlo Rally accident. He created extra work for the Hyundai mechanics this morning, though, by rolling his car at the pre-event shakedown.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "My foot feels not too bad at all, and I'm pleased to have made it here without the crutches or the protection. What we really need here is to show similar or better speed that we had in Sweden, but to get to the finish. The car has felt very good in testing - the engine certainly feels stronger, so I'm optimistic. The accident today was down to having a bit too much speed into one corner - we slid onto the grass and then there was a little mound of earth which sent us into a roll.
Armin Schwarz said: "The engine is a big improvement - not just in horsepower and torque but also the driveability, and I think that is almost the most important thing of all. I think the team's goal of fourth in the manufacturers' championship is certainly achievable, if we get good reliability and speed from the car - and the drivers.
SKODA
Technical: Skoda has made few major changes to the Octavia for Corsica, although this is the first time that the team will run the car with three 'active' differentials (previously the rear differential had lacked computer control). Kenneth Eriksson and Toni Gardemeister will both use brand new cars, while Roman Kresta will use an older, updated model.
Sporting: Skoda brings back the young Czech driver, Roman Kresta, for the Tour de Corse. He'll team up with the manufacturer's two regular drivers, Kenneth Eriksson and Toni Gardemesiter. Kresta hit problems at this morning's shakedown when he had a small accident, but his car will be ready for tomorrow morning's start regardless.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: "It's going to be as hard a rally as ever for us. The narrow mountain roads are very tricky and the Octavia's a big car. But if we have a clean run here then anything is possible. We're learning more about the car all the time and the new type of differential helps too.
CITROEN
Citroen is not sending any works Xsara WRCs to this event, but the team's regular driver Philippe Bugalski will use a Xsara WRC run by Spanish private team Piedrafita.
OTHER ENTRIES
The Tour de Corse has attracted a strong contingent of non-works World Rally Cars. Bugalski and Rovanperä aside, drivers like Bruno Thiry and Achim Mortl (Peugeot 206 WRCs) will have high hopes of inching into the top ten to fight for points.
The event is also a round of the FIA Production Cars World Rally Championship for more standard vehicles. Favourites for the category will include Hamed al Wahaibi, Ramon Ferreyros and Gustavo Trelles. Italian driver Alex Fiorio will not be starting, however - the former category champion was injured in a road accident in Italy last weekend and he is unlikely to be fit enough to return to driving until at least one month.
STAGE ITINERARY
GMT +1
Leg 1, Friday 8th March (334.32km)
08:56 SS 1 Cuttoli - Peri 17.72km
09:44 SS 2 Ocana - Radicale 28.64km
11:55 SS 3 Petreto - Ampaza 36.73km
14:04 SS 4 Cuttoli - Peri 17.72km
14:52 SS 5 Ocana - Radicale 28.64km
Leg 2, Saturday 9th March (363.34km)
09:24 SS 6 Petreto - Ampaza 36.73km
11:40 SS 7 Gare de Carbuccia - Gare dâUcciani 10.66km
12:05 SS 8 Vero - Pont d'Azzana 18.28km
12:40 SS 9 Lopigna - Sarolla 30.11km
15:01 SS 10 Gare de Carbuccia - Gare dâUcciani 10.66km
15:26 SS 11 Vero - Pont d'Azzana 18.28km
16:01 SS 12 Lopigna - Sarolla 30.11km
Leg 3, Sunday 10th March (240.37km)
09:29 SS 13 Coti Chiavari - Pietra Rossa 24.21km
10:05 SS 14 Pont de Calzola - Agosta Plage 31.79km
12:07 SS 15 Coti Chiavari - Pietra Rossa 24.21km
12:43 SS 16 Pont de Calzola - Agosta Plage 31.79km
14:26 Finish of the rally in Ajaccio
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