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20th Argentina Rally 2000
http://www.rallyarg.com.ar/
Round 6 of the FIA World Rally Championship
11-14th May 2000
Final Report
Sunday 14 May 2000
Congratulations to Richard Burns and Subaru on their third victory of this year's FIA World Rally Championship. Both have extended their leads in the Drivers and Manufacturers series after six of the 14 rounds. Today's six stages have been run in fairly muddy conditions and with fog making visibility difficult in the high altitude stages close to Mina Clavero but with the exception of Colin McRae's retirement with engine failure on the first stage, there have been few dramas among the leading crews. The Championship now heads back to Europe for next month's Acropolis Rally in Greece where the heat and rough roads offer a fresh challenge to the teams.
Subaru
Richard Burns won four of today's six stages to confirm his victory and extend his lead in the FIA World Rally Championship. He went into the final stage with a 33s advantage over Gronholm but doubled that with his 13th fastest time of the event. The muddy nature of the early stages caused a brief recurrence of the engine overheating problems from the first day but a radiator swap immediately cured the problem. Burns lost his record of setting fastest time on every stage today when he overshot a junction in the fog on SS20 but he was still well clear of second placed Gronholm. Juha Kankkunen's overnight statement that, if Tommi Makinen wanted to win this rally he'd first have to get past, came back to haunt him on the opening stage when the Finn left the road and damaged his car against a tree. Although Kankkunen was able to continue he had lost a lot of time and Makinen was past him into third as a result.
Peugeot
Marcus Gronholm had a big moment on SS18 when he took a crest too quickly and was fortunate to stay on the road. The team said that he was lucky that the car landed on its rear wheels rather than nose-diving into the ground. "I was really, really scared," admitted the Finn. "I was so lucky not to crash. I'm really not sure how much I can attack and still be able to reduce the risk of this happening again." Gronholm set his first fastest time of the day on SS20 but he was not in a position to overhaul Burns unless the rally leader had a problem. François Delecour spent today evaluating tyres for his team mate but then lost a lot of time on SS20 with a failed clutch. After the finish Gronholm and his team manager were summoned to the Stewards after claims that the Finn had been seen with his car's bonnet open in a refuelling zone and, after the hearing of witness, no further action was taken.
Mitsubishi
Tommi Makinen had to compromise on his tyre choice for the first two stages this morning. Although he was happier with the wider Michelin ZA tyre for the second of the pair of stages he would have preferred the narrower ZE tyre for the first. "The first stage was very difficult," he explained, "and the narrower tyre would have been better but these things are always a compromise. The car is fine and we are continuing to push but there are many hazards and I have to mix speed with caution." Team mate Freddy Loix found out how tricky the conditions were when he spun on both of the first two stages. "We made a small spin on the first stage but only lost a little time. However when we did it again on the second we found ourselves facing the wrong way and the engine stalled."
Ford
Colin McRae's Argentina Rally came to a frustrating end half way through the opening stage of today's final leg when the Scot's engine failed. The cause of the failure is not yet known but it means that neither of Ford's registered crews (McRae and Carlos Sainz) has finished this event. Team director Malcolm Wilson said: "We knew today was going to be difficult but we were really looking forward to the challenge. The rally was there be taken." Although Ford will leave Argentina without adding to its points tally in the FIA World Championship for Manufacturers, Petter Solberg did finish in the Drivers' series points, climbing to sixth with McRae's demise despite hitting a tree and spinning twice on the first two stages. "It really is very, very slippery," he said. "It's muddy and rough and not nice conditions in which to drive."
Hyundai
Alister McRae continued to set some good times today although he initially reported that the alternator was not working as well as it should. A minor brake problem cost the Scot a further 40s road penalties while it was fixed at the service point after SS18 but he was able to record Hyundai's first points finish in manufacturers series. By contrast his team mate Kenneth Eriksson was hampered by a misfire when running on full boost but still managed to end the event in the top 10 (passing Group N winner Gustavo Trelles for eighth place on the final stage) and gain useful data for future events.
Other teams
Krzysztof Holowczyc (Wizja TV Turning Point team) retired from the FIA Teams Cup competition before the first stage today when electronic throttle problems that had begun last night were not rectified in the first service area. The Polish driver was OTL (over time limit) before the start of SS17. Serkan Yazici (Team Atakan) won the contest from Frederic Dor who struggled today with a misting windscreen. Group N eventually fell to reigning World Champion Gustavo Trelles who beat Gabriel Pozzo by just over a minute. Pozzo took the lead yesterday after early leader Manfred Stohl retired with engine failure but Trelles passed him today to win and close the gap to Stohl in the Championship. News of Loris Roggia, co-driver to Andrea Aghini who crashed out of the event on SS9, is that the Italian has damaged the fifth and sixth vertebrae in his back and will need surgery to stabilise his condition before he can safely fly back to Italy. Roggia is currently in the Hospital Privado de Cordoba where his condition is being monitored until he is fit again. Doctors say that his injuries are only trauma and there are no neurological problems anticipated.
Tyre facts
Pirelli:
Although the rain was absent today the stages were much muddier than yesterday as a result of the overnight weather. The leading Pirelli crews remained faithful to the soft compound KM6 tyre but the technicians adjusted the tread pattern by adding extra cuts to the inner shoulders of the tyres to further improve the tyre's ability to bite through the top surface and find grip below. Richard Burns set fastest time on four of today's six stages (the first three and the last stage) to take his total to 13 out of the event's 22 stages.
Michelin:
Overnight rain left many parts of the final day's stages muddier than had been seen during Legs 1 and 2. Yet the proportion of mud was still insufficient to make the Michelin WB the obvious choice for Peugeot, nor the narrow Michelin ZE for the Mitsubishi runners, although both teams did respectively run with these patterns at least once today. All three of Michelin's manufacturer partners set at least one fastest stage time in the course of the rally (Gronholm and Sainz 3, McRae and Makinen 1).
Unofficial Final Results
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 4:10:20,7
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:11:28,1
3 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 4:11:52,3
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 4:12:43,5
5 Loix Mitsu Carisma 4:18:54,3
6 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 4:21:20,3
7 McRae Hyundai Accent WRC 4:23:38,5
8 Eriksson Hyundai Accent WRC 4:30:55,8
9 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 4:32:00,2
10 Pozzo Mitsu Lancer 4:33:01,1
Group N
1 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 4:32:00,2
2 Pozzo Mitsu Lancer 4:33:01,1
3 Sanchez Mitsu Lancer 4:37:16,7
2-Litre
1 Bescham Renault Megane 4:50:03,9
Teams Cup
1 Turkey's Team Atakan Yazici Toyota Corolla 4:36:15,2
2 Frederic Dor Rally Team Dor Subaru Impreza 4:42:13,1
3 Wizja TV Turning Point Holowczyc Subaru Impreza
Provisional FIA World Championship Points
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers (unofficial positions after 6 of 14 rounds):
Burns (GB) 38
Gronholm (FIN) 24
Makinen (FIN) 23
Sainz (E) 17
McRae (GB) 14
Kankkunen (FIN) 14
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers (unofficial positions after 6 of 14 rounds)
Subaru 54
Ford 31
Mitsubishi 29
Peugeot 29
SEAT 7
Skoda 5
Hyundai 1
FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars (unofficial positions after 6 of 14 rounds):
Stohl (A) 27
Trelles (ROU) 22
Campos (P) 13
Menzi (I) 12
Paasonen (FIN) 11
Nittel (D) 10
FIA Teams' Cup (unofficial positions after 6 of 14 rounds):
Toyota Team Saudi Arabia 16
Spike Rally Team 16
F.Dor Rally Team 16
Turning Point Rally Team 10
Team Ataken 10
Stage Winners
SS17 - Burns, SS18 - Burns, SS19 - Burns, SS20 - Gronholm, SS21 - Makinen, SS22 - Burns
SS 17 Chamico - Ambul 24.60 km 1st Car: 09:09
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 18:06,4
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 18:28,4
3 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 18:38,0
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 18:51,9
5 Loix Mitsu Carisma 19:17,5
SS 18 El Mirador - San Lorenzo 20.65 km 1st Car: 09:51
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 12:02,1
2 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 12:05,9
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 12:10,6
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 12:16,4
5 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 12:39,7
SS 19 Cura Brochero - Nono 19.31 km 1st Car: 10:50
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 9:44,7
2 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 9:45,6
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 9:46,5
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 9:48,2
5 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 10:00,6
SS 20 La Posta - Mina Clavero 24.09 km 1st Car: 11:59
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 16:45,7
2 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 16:49,6
3 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 17:01,9
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 17:03,6
5 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 17:19,0
SS 21 El Mirador - San Lorenzo 20.65 km 1st Car: 13:41
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 12:12,0
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 12:21,8
3 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 12:23,0
4 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 12:26,2
5 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 12:36,9
SS 22 El Condor - Copina 16.77 km 1st Car: 15:01
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 15:12,6
2 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 15:26,3
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 15:46,7
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 15:53,6
5 Eriksson Hyundai Accent WRC 16:31,2
End of Leg 2
The Argentina Rally moved into top gear today as Richard Burns set about slicing his overnight deficit and those ahead of him attempted to defend their positions. Light rain greeted the crews as they left Cordoba and headed south but this gradually worsened and by the afternoon the weather was really quite unpleasant. Burns set a string of fastest times to take the lead with one stage to go and resisted any temptation to play a tactical card to ensure that he was not first on the road into tomorrow's final leg around Mina Clavero. Looking ahead to the final day, Burns said: "The hardest day of the event is still to come. Stage 20 is the roughest of the event and there are three of the slowest, twistiest stages of the event so it's not going to be easy."
Subaru
Richard Burns set a string of fastest times during the day to overturn his 39s deficit and go six seconds clear at the head of the event with just the superspecial at Camping General San Martin to go. He extended that lead with another fastest time on the final stage. Burns has been in total control today but said: "Colin and Marcus are driving very well and it's not easy to predict the result except that it will be a big fight tomorrow. It hasn't been as easy to get places back here as it was in Portugal but I have no reason to think that I can't win. The car has been fine today and there's been no repaet of the engine problems from yesterday. We've definitely had the best tyres for the conditions and I've been really confident with them." Team mate Juha Kankkunen has been embroiled in a tense battle with World Champion Tommi Makinen today and took the advantage after the team changed his gearbox this afternoon. Looking ahead to tomorrow Kankkunen said: "If Tommi has got any ideas of winning this rally he's got to get ahead of me first!"
Ford
Following yesterday's wipeout for the SEAT team, Spain's misery was complete when Carlos Sainz hit the end of a steel barrier 600m from the end of SS11 and damaged the radiator too badly to continue. It was a blow to the Ford team as Sainz's team mate Colin McRae had just moved up to second place. McRae described Sainz's demise: "It was a tricky narrow left corner over a crest and if Carlos hadn't gone off there I'm pretty sure that someone else would have done." Sainz later admitted that he had taken the wrong line over the crest. McRae had his own scare a few stages later when he found the water crossing on SS13 much rougher than when he tackled it the first time on SS11. The rear of the car kicked high in the air and the front end took the full impact, damaging the radiator protection and sump shielding. Petter Solberg was fortunate that there were sufficient spectators on hand at that point as a similar incident left his car on its side before they manhandled it back onto its wheels.
Mitsubishi
Tommi Makinen again had to admit to a tyre choice that was too hard for the wet conditions on the opening pair of stages. "The problem was that we didn't know what the rain was going to do," he said. He also had a scare in the watersplash that Colin McRae encountered. Later in the day Makinen got the tyres right and confirmed that grip levels were quite high with the right combination. However the rough mature of SS12 caused his car to jump out of gear a few times. Freddy Loix also suffered from the same tyre choice as Makinen but was also having to be over-cautious on stages that he was driving for the first time. "Our notes are too slow," he admitted. The team adjusted his rear diff mapping later in the day and he also admitted to having his engine cut out a few times.
SEAT
After its retirement from the event yesterday SEAT stayed on for testing. The team found a stretch of road between Villa Carlos Paz and Mina Clavero where it could dam up a river and try to recreate the conditions that caused the clutch failures yesterday. Overnight the team had made modifications to the clutch and, despite Auriol driving flat out through water half a metre deep, the problem did not reappear and the team believes it has found the correct solution. Toni Gardemeister joined Auriol later having sent the morning carrying out an extensive tyre test.
Peugeot
Francois Delecour started the day with a misting windscreen and a rear diff problem but these were both fixed in service and since then the Frenchman has been fine. "I've been comparing my times today with Petter Solberg as he is the only other driver in a World Rally Car who hasn't been here before," he explained. Overnight leader Marcus Gronholm had a fairly trouble-free day but slipped back partly as a result of not being sure of the road on high speed stages such as SS15.
Hyundai
After last night's incident on the final stage where spectators threw rocks at several cars, Kenneth Eriksson had to start today with a replacement windscreen that did not have an effective de-misting system. As a result, on this morning's first stage, he was unable to clear the screen and the lack of visibility was the cause of his slow time. He also damaged the radiator fans in the watersplashes. Alister McRae's day had been punctuated with a few transmission problems although his main drama came on SS15 when he broke a drive shaft.
Other teams
The FIA Teams Cup competition looks to be comfortably in the hands of Team Atakan here in Argentina as Serkan Yazici is over five minutes clear of Frederic Dor. Group N, however, is a far closer affair with Gabriel Pozzo and Gustavo Trelles fighting hard for the advantage throughout the day.
Tyre facts
Pirelli:
Richard Burns has set fastest time on all but one of today's seven stages using the soft KM6 tread pattern and compound throughout to move from an overnight sixth to lead the event into the final day. The KM tyre is specifically designed for soft and sandy conditions while the 6 compound is the softest available to the Pirelli crews on this event. It is expected that the same tyre will be the choice for tomorrow's stages if the weather conditions remain as they have done today.
Michelin:
As anticipated, start order played an important part in the way today's scenario unfolded, with the first drivers on the road breaking and then brushing aside the damp upper surface crust to leave a firmer base for the next competitors through. However, the rain hasn't been heavy enough, nor the mud significant enough, for Peugeot to switch to the Michelin WB rain/mud tyre or Mitsubishi to run the narrow dimension Michelin ZE, patterns that the two Michelin partners registered with the FIA prior to the event. Michelin teams have used soft compounds (8) of the Michelin Z (Mitsubishi), Michelin ZA (Peugeot) or Michelin ZE (Ford), although the Mitsubishi pair did use the 9 compound for the first two stages before switching to the 8 for the remainder of the day.
Unofficial Results at the end of Leg 2
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 2:45:59,1
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 2:46:08.4
3 McRae Ford Focus WRC 2:46:11.1
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 2:46:31.1
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 2:46:38.3
6 Loix Mitsu Carisma 2:49:20.6
7 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 2:52:05.3
8 McRae Hyundai Accent WRC 2:52:16.0
9 Pozzo Mitsu Lancer 2:57:42,7
10 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 2:57:46,6
Group N
1 Pozzo Mitsu Lancer 2:57:42,7
2 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 2:57:46,6
3 Sanchez Mitsu Lancer 3:01:41,7
2-Litre
1 Bescham Renault Megane 3:08:59,9
Teams Cup
1 Turkey's Team Atakan Yazici Toyota Corolla 2:59:37,8
2 Frederic Dor Rally Team Dor Subaru Impreza 3:03:24,1
3 Wizja TV Turning Point Holowczyc Subaru Impreza 3:11:59,3
Stage Winners
SS10 - Burns, SS11 - McRae, SS12 - Burns, SS13 - Burns, SS14 - Burns, SS15 - Burns, SS16 - Burns
SS 10 S. Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 26.10 km 1st Car: 09:16
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 15:24,9
2 McRae Ford Focus WRC 15:32,2
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 15:34,9
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 15:36,5
5 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 15:39,5
SS 11 San Agustin - Villa General Belgrano 12.65 km 1st Car: 09:59
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 McRae Ford Focus WRC 9:47,9
2 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 9:52,4
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 9:54,4
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 10:00,6
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 10:04,3
SS 12 Amboy - S. Rosa de Calamuchita 21.48 km 1st Car: 11:23
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 11:19,1
2 McRae Ford Focus WRC 11:21,1
3 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 11:22,5
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 11:24,8
5 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 11:27,9
SS 13 S. Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 26.10 km 1st Car: 12:44
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 15:29,1
2 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 15:30,1
3 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 15:33,0
4 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 15:33,6
5 McRae Ford Focus WRC 15:34,6
SS 14 Las Bajadas - Villa del Dique 18.67 km 1st Car: 13:27
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 10:04,3
2 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 10:06,6
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 10:10,8
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 10:11,7
5 McRae Ford Focus WRC 10:13,3
SS 15 Amboy - S. Rosa de Calamuchita 21.48 km 1st Car: 14:48
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 11:14,4
2 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 11:18,1
3 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 11:20,7
4 McRae Ford Focus WRC 11:20,8
5 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 11:24,1
SS 16 Camping General San Martin 5.05 km 1st Car: 16:46
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 4:13,0
2 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 4:13,9
3 McRae Ford Focus WRC 4:14,8
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 4:16,2
4 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:16,2
End of Leg 1
The Argentina Rally got under way in earnest today with seven stages to the north west of Cordoba around La Cumbre. Marcus Gronholm was the initial pace setter before Carlos Sainz hit back to take the overnight lead. Francois Delecour has struggled with hydraulic problems and both SEATs retired after clutch problems set in among the water crossings of SS6. At the moment the FIA World Rally Championship situation is too close to call as the event heads south tomorrow towards Santa Rosa Calamuchita. With the toughest stages of the event lying in wait right at the very end of Sunday's third leg there is still a long way to go.
Ford
Carlos Sainz stripped teeth from first gear on last night's superspecial stages at Complejo Pro Racing and needed a gearbox change. The car was fine for today's opening stages. Colin McRae got off to a good start on today's opening stage but gained a 10 second penalty for being late at the start of SS4. "We stopped to change tyres around but then had the brake pedal go straight to the floor," he said. "We thought a brake pipe had come off but it was just a bent pipe." The team's third car, driven by Petter Solberg, was delayed in Francois Delecour's dust and then gained 40 seconds penalty trying to fix a jammed throttle. He eventually had to drive SS4 using the key as the throttle wouldn't work at all. SS6 was a tremendous one for Ford with Sainz fastest and McRae second. "I've never gone well on that stage before," said Sainz, "but the suspension was perfect and I was confident." McRae added: "If you're prepared to attack then you can really gain time thereÉ and I did."
Peugeot
Francois Delecour suffered a fire after the 206 suffered a hydraulic leak after just 500 metres of SS3. "We had no choice but to stop after 2 kms," he admitted. He lost around 12 minutes over the two stages and is now continuing only for testing. Marcus Gronholm was fastest on today's first stage to take the lead. "I'm quite surprised at my speed," he admitted. "It was quite slippery with loose gravel and many times I was on the limit."
Subaru
Overnight leader Richard Burns lost his lead when his engine started to overheat on the twisty SS3 and the mapping cut to a safer, but slower, option. "There was a lot of loose gravel," he admitted, "and we've been cleaning the stage for the following cars." Burns chose a harder tyre to his team mate Juha Kankkunen and the Finn believed that Burns had made the better choice, even though his engine problems had not allowed him to prove it with a fast time. Burns got water into his turbo system on SS6 which cost him the chance to challenge Gronholm's lead and let both Fords past. The unit was changed after the stage but the engine overheating problems have continued and will need to be cured at tonight's final service if Burns is to have any hope of fighting back.
Mitsubishi
From an overnight 10th place, Tommi Makinen jumped to fifth after today's first two stages despite feeling that his tyre choice had not been perfect. "Maybe the ZA would have been better," he said after he felt he needed to run a harder compound than the other Michelin teams. On SS6 Makinen lost sixth gear and was fortunate that the team could change the gearbox at the next service rather than having to wait until the end of the leg. Team mate Freddy Loix had to drive off the road to avoid Francois Delecour's limping Peugeot on SS3 and was then delayed in his dust on the next stage. He was mystified why he could not set faster times and said, "I'll just have to try harder."
Hyundai
Alister McRae had a scare this morning when he came face to face with a horse in the middle of the road on a stage but he was able to avoid injuring either the beast or the Hyundai. On a dramatic SS6 Kenneth Eriksson lost power steering but was still able to move up the leaderboard following the demise of the SEATs although fixing the power steerin problem cost road penalties for the Swede.
SEAT
Didier Auriol suffered a rear wheel puncture on SS3 but was unaware of it until the end of the stage thanks to the EMI anti-deflation system in the tyre. He was lucky to escape without mechanical damage on the next stage when he could not avoid a massive rock in the middle of the road. "It was impossible to avoid but luckily it didn't cause any real damage," he admitted. Toni Gardemeister has been struggling to remember the roads on his first visit to Argentina and admitted: "This will be the hardest day for me as I can't find the right pace in this situation." Unfortunately SEAT's day didn't last much longer as both cars stopped on SS6, the stage starting just as SEAT Sport president Vicente Aguilera arrived in Argentina from Barcelona. "This was really unlucky," said Auriol. "We started the day confident that we could chase the top positions but after the first water crossing the clutch began to slip and with each crossing it got worse. After the sixth the car stopped and it was impossible to continue." Gardemeister survived three crossings before suffering a similar fate.
Other teams
Krysztof Holowczyc lost a front wheel of his Subaru on the second stage today and the Wisja TV Turning Point entry has spent the day a distant third in the FIA Teams Cup contest. At the end of the day it is Frederic Dor whose F.Dor Rally Team entry leads the way from the Team Atakan car of Serkan Yazici. In Group N it is reigning FIA World Champion Gustavo Trelles who holds the advantage tonight from Manfred Stohl and Gabriel Pozzo, the three of them driving Mitsubishis.
Tyre facts
Michelin:
Marcus Gronholm set fastest time on today's opening stage and between his Peugeot and Carlos Sainz's Ford, Michelin has been fastest on 5 of the first leg's eight stages. Sainz scored his first fastest time of the rally on SS6 despite a 3cm cut in the sidewall of his left rear tyre. Michelin's ATS system enabled the Spaniard to complete the stage without time-loss. Michelin's WRC partners employed a number of tread patterns in the course of the day (Z, ZE, ZA), basing their choice on the nature of the stages - which ranged from a sandy to a harder base - and as a function of their global selection for this event registered eight weeks previously. The Z and the ZA patterns both won stages.
Pirelli:
After setting fastest time on both of last night's superspecials, Richard Burns added a third scratch time on SS4. Pirelli crews have been using the KM pattern tyres designed for soft, damp and sandy surfaces although Burns has been hampered by having to run first on the road today and felt that later runners were getting cleaner surfaces. Didier Auriol suffered a rear wheel puncture on SS3 but was unaware of the fact until the end of the stage thanks to the EMI anti-deflation system that worked to maintain the tyre's shape and performance.
Leading Retirements:
Auriol (F), Gardemeister (FIN), Recalde (RA), Menzi (RA), Raies (RA), Aghini (I)
Tomorrow: Saturday 13 May
Leg 2 starts from Cordoba, Feriar, at 07h15 and covers 470.30km, including 131.53km on 7 special stages. The first car is expected in Cordoba, Feriar, at 17h01
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Unofficial Results at the end of Leg 1
1 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 1:27:42,3
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 1:27:46,5
3 McRae Ford Focus WRC 1:28:06,4
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 1:28:13,9
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 1:28:16,3
6 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 1:28:21,9
7 Loix Mitsu Carisma 1:29:30,6
8 McRae Hyundai Accent WRC 1:30:26,5
9 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 1:31:12,9
10 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 1:33:23,5
Group N
1 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 1:33:23,5
2 Mendez Mitus Lancer 1:33:24,5
3 Stohl Mitsu Lancer 1:33:39.1
2-Litre
1 Bescham Renault Megane 1.38.43,2
Teams Cup
1 Turkey's Team Atakan Yazici Toyota Corolla 1:34:25.8
2 Frederic Dor Rally Team Dor Subaru Impreza 1:35:55.2
3 Wizja TV Turning Point Holowczyc Subaru Impreza 1:48:41.5
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SS 3 Capilla del Monte - San Marcos Sierras 23.20 km 1st Car: 09:09
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 17:37,2
2 McRae Ford Focus WRC 17:41,7
3 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 17:47,0
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 17:47,5
5 Auriol Seat Cordoba WRC 17:48,3
SS 4 San Marcos Sierras - Charbonier 9.61 km 1st Car: 09:40
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 6:41,2
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 6:43,5
3 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 6:44,0
4 McRae Ford Focus WRC 6:45,8
5 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 6:46,3
SS 5 Tanti - Cosquin 16.07 km 1st Car: 11:42
Cancelled due to safety precautions
SS 6 Villa Giardino - La Falda 22.53 km 1st Car: 12:35
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 16:16,0
2 McRae Ford Focus WRC 16:18,2
3 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 16:23,0
4 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 16:25,7
5 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 16:28,8
SS 7 La Cumbre - Agua de Oro 23.46 km 1st Car: 14:13
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 20:19,8
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 20:22,9
3 McRae Ford Focus WRC 20:24,6
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 20:27,7
5 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 20:32,3
SS 8 Colonia Caroya 3.40 km 1st Car: 15:16
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 2:29,8
2 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 2:29,9
3 McRae Ford Focus WRC 2:30,0
4 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 2:30,2
5 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 2:30,4
SS 9 Ascochinga - La Cumbre 28.83 km 1st Car: 16:04
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 19:06,1
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 19:08,2
3 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 19:11,2
4 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 19:12,4
5 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 19:13,7
Welcome back to the FIA World Rally Championship.
The 20th Argentina Rally started earlier today with two super special stages at the new rally sprint track at the holiday resort of Villa Carlos Paz. The stages attracted crowds of up to 50,000 spectators and cars raced head to head on a recently constructed twin track. Only minor drama of the evening was a change of gearbox in the Ford Focus for Carlos Sainz - this was changed after the stages as a precautionary measure.
Richard Burns set the early pace by winning both the stages and holds and narrow lead over Marcus Gonholm.
C.McRae: That was good fun, said McRae. It was one of the best super special stages I've competed on and excellent entertainment for the spectators. But we must forget that now because the rally really starts on the first stage in the morning.
Makinen: "We had no problems, but it is a new stage that we have only practiced twice in the daylight. Running it in the dark was not so easy and it is not necessary to take chances on these stages. The tough competition starts tomorrow and this is one of my favourite rallies that has always been kind to me, so I have a good feeling".
The rally action begins tomorrow morning in Cordoba with 125km of competitive stages. Itinerary and leading entries listed below.
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End of Section 1, Leg 1
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 4:55,6
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:56,0
3 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 4:57,3
5 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 4:59,2
4 McRae Ford Focus WRC 5:00,2
6 Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 5:00,4
7 Gardemeister Seat Cordoba WRC 5:01,9
8 Solberg Ford Focus WRC 5:02,1
9 Makinen Mitsu Lancer 5:03,1
10 Loix Mitsu Carisma 5:03,7
Group N
1 Pozzo Mitus Lancer 5:13,0
2 Stohl Mitsu Lancer 5:14,6
3 Trelles Mitsu Lancer 5:16,7
2-Litre
1 Bescham Renault Megane 5:46,7
Teams Cup
1 Turkey's Team Atakan Yazici Toyota Corolla 5:23,9
2 Wizja TV Turning Point Holowczyc Subaru Impreza 5:11,2
3 Frederic Dor Rally Team Dor Subaru Impreza 5:29,6
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Tonight's two stages were super special stages held on a rally sprint track. Two cars compete at the same time and after finishing SS1, will change lanes and drive a second lap as SS2.
SS1 Complejo Pro-Racing (Lane A) 3.44 km 1st Car: 19:00
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 2:29:1
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 2:29:3
3 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 2:29:7
4 McRae Ford Focus WRC 2:30:6
5 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 2:30:8
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SS2 Complejo Pro-Racing (Lane B) 3.44 km 1st Car: 19:00
Stage Pos/ Driver/ Car/ Stage Time
1 Burns Subaru Impreza WRC 2:26:5
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 2:26:7
3 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 2:27:6
4 Delecour Peugeot 206 WRC 2:28:4
5 Auriol Seat Cordoba WRC 2:28:9
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Stage Itineray
The Rally has a cloverleaf course and the competitive part covers 390,94 Km on 22 special stages upon a total of 1573,58 Km.
The event includes three legs in three days and a half of competition. On Thursday, an spectacular opening has been planned by running SS1 and SS2 in a rally sprint circuit close to Villa Carlos Paz that will be used for the very first time. The second section of the first leg runs across the Punilla Valley and the Sierras Chicas.
Another super special stage is scheduled at Colonia Caroya. La Cumbre will play host to the main Service Area. Leg includes 133,73 timed km. Second leg takes competitors to Santa Rosa de Calamuchita to tackle seven special stages totalling 131,19 Km. San Agustín- Va. General Belgrano is a stage to be run for the first time. Main Service Area will be again located at Santa Rosa although in a different venue. The Leg finishes at the re-styled stage at Camping General San Martin in Córdoba city.
Finally, third leg goes west to Traslasierra to reach the highest point of the World Rally series. Six stages, including the famous El Cóndor-Copina and La Posta-Mina Clavero are scheduled on Sunday. The Leg includes 126,02 Km. The finish ceremony will take place at Córdoba Olympic Stadium.
Thursday 11th May
Leg 1 - Villa Carlos Paz, 522.48 km
17:30 Start from Villa Carlos Paz
19:00 SS 1 Complejo Pro-Racing Lane A 3.44 km
SS 2 Complejo Pro-Racing Lane B 3.44 km
19:45 End of section 1 in Villa Carlos Paz
Friday 12th May
Leg 1 cont
07:30 Start from Villa Carlos Paz
09:09 SS 3 Capilla del Monte - San Marcos Sierras 23.20 km
09:40 SS 4 San Marcos Sierras - Charbonier 9.61 km
11:42 SS 5 Tanti - Cosquin 16.07 km
12:35 SS 6 Villa Giardino - La Falda 22.53 km
14:13 SS 7 La Cumbre - Agua de Oro 23.46 km
15:16 SS 8 Colonia Caroya 3.40 km
16:04 SS 9 Ascochinga - La Cumbre 28.83 km
19:03 End of leg 1 in Cordoba
Saturday 13th May
Leg 2, Cordoba - Cordoba, 470.30 km
07:15 Start from Cordoba
09:16 SS 10 S. Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 26.10 km
09:59 SS 11 San Agustin - Villa General Belgrano 12.65 km
11:23 SS 12 Amboy - S. Rosa de Calamuchita 21.48 km
12:44 SS 13 S. Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 26.10 km
13:27 SS 14 Las Bajadas - Villa del Dique 18.67 km
14:48 SS 15 Amboy - S. Rosa de Calamuchita 21.48 km
16:46 SS 16 Camping General San Martin 5.05 km
19:46 End of leg 2 in Cordoba
Sunday 14 May
Leg 3, Cordoba - Cordoba, 566.71 km
07:30 Start from Cordoba
09:09 SS 17 Chamico - Ambul 24.60 km
09:51 SS 18 El Mirador - San Lorenzo 20.65 km
10:50 SS 19 Cura Brochero - Nono 19.31 km
11:59 SS 20 La Posta - Mina Clavero 24.09 km
13:41 SS 21 El Mirador - San Lorenzo 20.65 km
15:01 SS 22 El Condor - Copina 16.77 km
16:50 Finish of the rally in Cordoba
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Leading Group A & Group N Entrants
1 R.Burns R.Reid (GB) Subaru Impreza WRC 2000 A8
2 T.Makinen R.Mannisenmaki (FIN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo A8
3 M.Grönholm T.Rautiainen (FIN) Peugeot 206 WRC FIN A8
4 C.Sainz L.Moya (E) Ford Racing Focus WRC A8
5 C.McRae N.Grist (GB) Ford Racing Focus WRC A8
6 J.Kankkunen J.Repo (FIN) Subaru Impreza WRC 2000 A8
7 D.Auriol D.Giraudet (F) SEAT Córdoba WRC A8
8 T.Gardemeister P.Lukander (FIN) SEAT Córdoba WRC A8
9 F.Delecour D.Grataloup (GB/F) Peugeot 206 WRC A8
10 F.Loix S.Smeets (B) Mitsubishi Carisma GT A8
11 K.Ericksson S.Parmander (S) Hyundai Accent A8
12 A.McRae D.Senior (GB) Hyundai Accent A8
13 P.Solberg P.Mills (N/GB) Ford Racing Focus WRC A8
14 F.Dor K.Gormley (F/GB) Subaru Impreza WRC 97 A8
15 K.Holowczyc J.Fortin (PL/B) Subaru Impreza A8
16 J.Papadimitriou N.Petropoulos (GR) Subaru Impreza A8
17 S.Yacizi E.Bodur (TR) Toyota Corolla WRC A8
18 J.Recalde D.Martín Curletto (RA) Ford Cosworth RA A8
19 G.Trelles J.Del Buono (ROU/RA) Mitsu Lancer Evo VI N4
20 M.Stohl P.Müller (A) Mitsu Lancer Evo VI N4
21 R.Sanchez R.Garcia (RA) Subaru Impreza WRX N4
22 C.Menzi E.Galindo (RA) Mitsu Lancer Evo VI N4
24 G.Raies J.Volta (RA) Mitsu Lancer Evo VI N4
25 A.Aghini L.Roggia (I) Mitsu Carisma N4
26 R.Ferreyros G.Saenz (PE) Mitsu Lancer Evolution N4
27 G.Mendez D.Muzio (ROU) Mitsu Lancer Evo VI N4
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