2002 FIA World Rally Championship


Rally Argentina 2002
http://www.rallyarg.com.ar/
Round 6 of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship
16-19 May 2002


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Extract from Official FIA Press Release
http://www.fia.com

Richard Burns Excluded
Due to a technical infringement, the crew of Richard Burns & Robert Reid have been excluded from their 1st place at the Rally Argentina. The infringement is thought to relate to a specially lightened flywheel. Peugeot have decided not to appeal this decision.

[Rally Argentina] Final
UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS
OUTRIGHT
1 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 4:07:06,8
2 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 4:08:09,1
3 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 4:08:13,1
4 McRae Ford Focus WRC 4:10:28,2
5 Martin Ford Focus WRC 4:11:01,5
6 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC 4:13:27,9
7 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC 4:14:25,7
8 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC 4:16:12,4
9 A.McRae Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 4:16:58,7
10 Pozzo Skoda Octavia WRC 4:22:08,0

GROUP N
1 Ferreyros Mitsubishi Lancer 4:32:27,6
2 Arai Subaru Impreza WRX 4:32:57,7
3 Singh Proton Pert 4:33:42,7
4 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer 4:38:40,7
5 Ligato Mitsubishi Lancer 4:39:34,4

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers:
Grönholm (FIN) 31
Burns (GB) 29
Panizzi (F) 20
Sainz (E) 15
Mäkinen (FIN) 14
Solberg (N) 11
Rovanperä (FIN) 9
C. McRae (GB) 9
Bugalski (F) 7
Loeb (F) 6
Martin (EE) 2
A. McRae (GB) 2
Gardemeister (FIN) 1

FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:
Peugeot 78
Ford 36
Subaru 31
Mitsubishi 6
Skoda 3
Hyundai 2

FIA Junior World Rally Championship (after 2 of 6 rounds):
Duval (B) 11
Sola (E) 10
Caldani (I) 6
Dallavilla (I) 6
Feghali (RL) 4

FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars (after 4 of 8 rounds):
Ferreyros (PE) 20
Singh (MAL) 14
Arai (J) 12
Trelles (ROU) 12
Sohlberg (FIN) 10

STAGE WINNERS
Grönholm SS 2,3,4,7,8,18,19,20,21
Mäkinen SS 5,11,12,15,17
Burns SS 6,10,13,18
Loix SS 9
C.McRae SS 14
Sainz SS 16

LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS22 Grönholm Peugeot 206 WRC Excluded
SS21 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC Accident
SS17 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC Mechanical
SS10 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
SS10 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC Mechanical
SS9 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
SS7 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Accident

Sunday, 19th May 2002
Reigning World Rally Champion Richard Burns has scored his first victory for the Peugeot team on the sixth round of this year's series, the Rally Argentina. The Englishman and co-driver Robert Reid finished second on stage times to team-mates Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen, but the Finnish pairing were excluded after the final test because Peugeot personnel present at this morning's parc ferme were adjudged to have offered advice when their car refused to restart. The result leaves the drivers' points standings delicately balanced, since it has moved Burns to within two points of his team-mate at the top of the table.
The final leg of the event provided drama to accompany Grönholm's controversy. Overnight leader Tommi Mäkinen lost his advantage to the Peugeot driver this morning and rolled his Subaru while trying to regain the lead. And there was an equally close battle between Ford's Carlos Sainz and Subaru's Petter Solberg for fourth. The young Norwegian lost out after he overshot a corner on the opening stage - although Grönholm's retirement eventually meant that he and Sainz were placed third and second respectively.

PEUGEOT
Technical: Marcus Grönholm's 206 WRC hit problems in parc ferme this morning. The car was reluctant to start and even when Grönholm succeeding in firing up the engine, it cut out several times. He had to stop seven times on the road section to first service to try different possible cures - the fault was later traced to an ECU. Richard Burns, meanwhile, was dissatisfied with his car's handling during this morning's opening three stages but his car was reliable otherwise.
Sporting: Marcus Grönholm struggled to start his car in this morning's parc ferme and he had to struggle to first service without incurring time penalties. The Finn then charged in the stages to pass overnight leader Tommi Mäkinen and build a lead. His position became more comfortable when Mäkinen rolled out near the end of the penultimate stage. However, event stewards met this afternoon and decided that Peugeot mechanics had broken servicing regulations by providing instructions on how to start the car on a road section. They excluded Grönholm and although Peugeot team boss Corrado Provera expressed dissatisfaction at the decision, the team elected not to appeal. The decision promoted Burns, who consolidated third and picked up second when Mäkinen crashed out, to the top step of the podium. Burns's win - his first for the Peugeot team - closed his deficit to Grönholm in the drivers' series to just two points.
Quotes: Richard Burns said: "More than anyone else on the podium I probably feel that I shouldn't be quite as high on the steps. The person who was fastest on the stages on this rally was Marcus Grönholm and although I'm happy with the 10 points, on a personal level the satisfaction is nowhere near what it would be if I'd won it on the stages. I think Peugeot has shown that it's stronger than it was last year, but in a way that's disguised the fact that Ford and Subaru have been very strong and challenging both here and in Cyprus last month.
Team Principal Corrado Provera said: "We believe that the rule of mechanics staying away one kilometre from the car is designed to avoid wild servicing, with people hiding in the woods and them coming out to work on the cars. By acting as we acted, we did not feel that we were breaking these regulations and we don't feel guilty, but we respect the Stewards' decision.

FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae and Markko Martin have been reliable today.
Sporting: As expected, Carlos Sainz attacked on this morning's opening stage and the double world champion quickly moved clear of Petter Solberg when the Norwegian overshot a corner and broke a wheel. Thereafter, Sainz consolidated his fourth position, and he inherited the final podium place when Tommi Mäkinen crashed out on the penultimate stage. His team-mates Colin McRae and Markko Martin had little to gain today, since they started this morning's stages in a lonely sixth and seventh respectively. They concentrated on maintaining those positions to the finish, although they too benefited from Mäkinen's retirement to eventually bag fifth and sixth. Grönholm's exclusion promoted the Ford trio to second (Sainz), fourth (McRae) and fifth (Martin).
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "It was a good fight this morning and I pushed hard. It seemed to work well, and when Petter made the mistake it gave me the advantage. This has been a hard event for us but in the end, we've got a good result for the team with some points in the manufacturers' championship. Second place is quite good, because the whole team had expected to be more competitive here.
Colin McRae said: "It's been a bad three days, really. Okay, we've ended up with some points but we didn't have that bit of extra speed that we showed in Cyprus, so we couldn't really compete with the Peugeots or the Subarus. The championship situation's not looking too hot now, so we'll just have to hope things take a turn for the better in Greece.

SUBARU
Technical: The Impreza WRC2002s of Petter Solberg and Tommi Mäkinen performed reliably today, although Mäkinen extensively damaged his car when he rolled out off the event near the end of SS21.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen started today's final leg with a lead of just half a second over Marcus Grönholm, and the Peugeot driver inched ahead in the opening stages. Mäkinen was trying to retaliate in the day's third test when he misjudged a double-crest and rolled his car off the road. He and navigator Kaj Lindstrom were badly shaken in the incident, and Lindstrom was taken to a nearby hospital suffering from suspected concussion. Petter Solberg started today's first test hoping to defend his overnight fourth place from Carlos Sainz, but the young Norwegian overshot in the El Condor fog and although he fought back in the last test, two more slight overshoots meant that he finished behind the Spaniard in fourth. That became third, however, when Grönholm was excluded.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "It's one of the biggest accidents of my career. We were in sixth gear on a very long straight when we went off. I tried so hard to win this rally and it's a sour way to lose it like that.
Petter Solberg said: "I really attacked this morning but about two kilometres into the first stage, it was really foggy and I just missed a corner. I could have tried to get round the corner but I think that might have caused even more damage, so I slid straight on and we broke a wheel. Then this afternoon I was well up at the split time on Carlos and then we had two more small overshoots. I'm sure I could have got back the position from him!

SKODA
Technical: Two of the three Octavia WRCs hit transmission problems today. Gabriel Pozzo complained of excessive oversteer on his car after a suspected rear differential glitch, while Toni Gardemeister suffered from a leaking front differential in this morning's group of three stages. Kenneth Eriksson's car, however, performed reliably.
Sporting: Toni Gardemeister continued to push hard this morning and the young Finn duly finished seventh after Mäkinen's accident. Grönholm's exclusion then promoted him to sixth, earning Gardemeister a point for himself and two makes' points for his Skoda team. Kenneth Eriksson maintained his pace to eventually claim seventh and a manufacturers' point, while Gabriel Pozzo was hit by differential problems this morning but still finished 10th.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "I'm really glad that we've got Skoda's first points of the season because we've tried hard on all the events so far and we certainly took some risks on this rally as well. Today was actually quite difficult - we pushed hard in the morning again, despite the feeling with the front differential, and then this afternoon we knew that if we got to the finish we'd score a point. It's never easy to drive just to finish and I actually had a few moments - including one at the finish of the last stage - before we could relax.
Gabriel Pozzo said: "I'm pleased to have got the full three days' experience of the works Octavia and hopefully given my home fans here a good show as well. The aim was to reach the finish and we've achieved that, so we have to be satisfied.

HYUNDAI
Technical: The sole remaining Accent WRC3 of Juha Kankkunen has been reliable today.
Sporting: Juha Kankkunen benefited from Tommi Mäkinen's retirement and Grönholm's exclusion today to move from his overnight 10th place to finish eighth.
Quotes: Juha Kankkunen said: "It's been quite a good day and not a bad event for us, but all the time today I've known that if we hadn't gone off and lost so much time on Friday, we could have been fighting for a points finish, and that's annoying. The car has been quite strong here, though, so hopefully we can take that into the Acropolis Rally next month and get a better result there.

MITSUBISHI
Technical: The remaining Lancer Evo WRC of Alister McRae completed today's four stages without problems.
Sporting: Alister McRae gained time on rival Juha Kankkunen on this morning's first stage but in the second, he spun in a narrow section and had to reverse back and forth before he continue. The resulting time loss ended any faint hopes the Scot still had of overhauling the veteran Finn and he settled for ninth.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "The spin was my fault and it cost us quite a bit of time. The biggest problem I have at the minute is that we really need a completely clean rally before we can tell exactly where we are in terms of performance. Here, I don't think we'd have been on the pace of the top guys but we lost at least four minutes with a few problems and if we hadn't had that, we'd have been fighting for a point or two.

OTHER ENTRIES
Peruvian Ramon Ferreyros triumphed in the Group N category for more standard machinery and thereby claimed maximum points in the FIA World Championship for Drivers of Production Cars. Ferreyros's Mitsubishi finished just over half a minute clear of Toshihiro Arai's Subaru Impreza, with the Proton of Karamjit Singh in third.

[WRC] Rally Argentina: End of Leg 1
END OF LEG 1
OUTRIGHT
1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 1:29:41,0
2 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 1:31:22,3
3 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 1:31:43,0
4 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 1:31:49,6
5 Sainz Ford Focus WRC 1:32:03,5
6 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC 1:32:30,6
7 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 1:32:56,1
8 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 1:33:16,5
9 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC 1:33:35,3
10 McRae Ford Focus WRC 1:33:50,6

GROUP N
1 Ligato Mitsubishi Lancer 1:39:28,9
2 Arai Subaru Impreza WRX 1:39:32,5
3 Ferreyros Mitsubishi Lancer 1:41:10,4
4 Singh Proton Pert 1:41:21,2
5 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer 1:44:21,8

STAGE WINNERS
SS1 - cancelled, SS2 - Gronholm, SS3 - Gronholm, SS4 - Gronholm, SS5 - Makinen, SS6 - Burns, SS7 - Gronholm, SS8 - Gronholm, SS9 - Loix

LEADING RETIREMENTS
No leading retirements

Friday 17th May 2002
FIA World Rally Championship leader Marcus Grönholm has already stamped his authority on the sixth round of the series, the Rally Argentina, which began in earnest this morning. After last night's ceremonial start in host town Villa Carlos Paz, today's action took crews into the mountain roads to the north of Cordoba. Grönholm was fastest on the opening three stages and as weather conditions worsened this afternoon, he charged further ahead to end the opening day with a lead of more than a minute and a half.
Behind the Peugeot driver, there has been a close battle between Tommi Mäkinen and Richard Burns for second overall. The scrap swung back and forth in the final two stages as both drivers fought with poor visibility and Mäkinen hit gearbox problems. The Subaru driver eventually ended the day just over 20 seconds clear of the reigning world champion, with the other works Impreza of Petter Solberg just over six seconds further back in fourth.
Despite the poor weather conditions and notoriously tricky Argentine stages, there have been few retirements among the leading crews, although François Delecour's Lancer succumbed to accident damage and Armin Schwarz's Hyundai stopped with fuel pressure at the end of SS9.

PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Marcus Grönholm and Harri Rovanperä have been reliable today. The car of Richard Burns broke a spark plug on this morning's opening stage, lapsing onto three cylinders for more than half of the test. Gilles Panizzi's car stopped and was reluctant to restart on the final road section to La Cumbre service after SS9, and he and navigator brother Hervé had to push the car into the time control.
Sporting: Marcus Grönholm might have had to wait a little longer than expected to start his charge this morning - thanks to the cancellation of the first stage due to spectator congestion - but once the action began in earnest, the current championship leader set three fastest times in succession to move clear of rivals Tommi Mäkinen and Richard Burns. He then bolstered that advantage with another fastest time in the day's penultimate stage as low cloud reduced visibility to only a few metres. Grönholm ended the day's action well over a minute clear of his nearest rival. His team-mate Richard Burns lost time on today's first test when his 206 WRC broke a spark plug and dropped onto three cylinders. But the reigning world champion recovered in the middle group of stages, setting fastest time in SS6 as he moved ahead of Harri Rovanperä into third overall. That became second overall when Mäkinen hit gearbox problems. Rovanperä was also in contention for a podium position overnight, but the Finn dropped time on the last pair of stages - he holds seventh. The final 206 WRC of Gilles Panizzi stopped on the road section back to final service this evening, and the crew had to push the car into the time control at La Cumbre an collected 1m20sec road penalties. They still ended the day in eleventh, however.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "It's obviously gone very well today. In some places running first on the road hasn't been so nice, because there was some quite deep gravel in places and we were sweeping it off the road. This afternoon in the fog was really bad, with visibility down to five metres in some places. But in general, I'm pretty happy because we've been setting good times and the car has been reliable. The gap looks good but if the weather stays bad then you can lose a lot of time in just one stage. We just have to try to maintain our pace tomorrow.
Richard Burns said: "I've rarely seen fog and low cloud as bad as it was this afternoon. The problem here is that you only have to go slightly off-line and you can have a big off, so it was a case of who was willing to take more risks than others. Clearly Marcus was comfortable with pushing very hard, because his times were good.

SUBARU
Technical: Tommi Mäkinen's Impreza WRC2002 hit gearbox problems in the day's closing two stages - the car started to change gear without any input from the driver and was restricted to fourth, fifth and sixth for much of SS8. Mäkinen had a full compliment of gears for SS9 but even then, the 'box was still changing without input. He and team mate Petter Solberg both suffered from cracked windscreens for much of the afternoon as well, after they were hit by flying rocks on the twin-track superspecial stage at lunchtime. Solberg's car completed the final pair of stages with low hydraulic pressure in the centre differential, making the Impreza unpredictable under braking.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen battled with Richard Burns for second overall during much of today's mileage. Gearbox problems in SS8 seemed to have relegated the Finn to third, but he got a full compliment of gears for the last test and fought back to inch into the runners-up spot overnight. Team-mate Petter Solberg clipped a rock in SS2 and punctured, but the young Norwegian recovered during the afternoon tests. Despite a fluid leak in his centre differential, he moved into the top six and he holds fourth overnight.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "The gearbox problem was awful - it must have cost me at least one and a half minutes, because there were hairpins were we came into the corner in fourth, fifth or sixth gear and it stalled. We even stopped the car for a while to reset everything, but it didn't make any difference. It's a shame because I had a really good feeling in the fog and I know I could have taken more time off some of the other guys.
Petter Solberg said: "I pushed hard this afternoon and had a few moments, but it paid off because we moved up the leaderboard. The visibility was awful, though - like about half a metre in some places. As for tomorrow, we're not too far behind Richard so hopefully we can attack. I think the fact that it's our second run over the stages will help me a bit as well.

FORD
Technical: Carlos Sainz's Focus RS WRC02 lost its power steering this morning, but that aside, the Spaniard's car and those of his team-mates Colin McRae and Markko Martin have been reliable.
Sporting: Apart from Carlos Sainz's power steering problems this morning, the three factory Focus RS WRC02s have been reliable today. But the team has been left puzzled as a result, since neither Carlos Sainz or Colin McRae has been able to seriously threaten the pace of either the Peugeots or the Subarus. McRae spun in a narrow stretch of road in SS3 and had to move his car back and forth several times before he could continue, losing around half a minute. He holds 9th overnight, while Sainz is the leading Ford in fifth and Markko Martin is 10th.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "The power steering problem this morning was very annoying. Just like in Cyprus, I didn't actually hit anything but all of a sudden it went very heavy and we had to do about 10 kilometres with no power assistance. All we can do is keep trying to find something that will bring us closer to the Subarus and Peugeots but right now, it's clearly very difficult. We'll see what the weather conditions are like tomorrow morning and make a decision based on that.
Colin McRae said: "We haven't really had any mechanical problems but when we come to the end of the stage the times just aren't there at the minute. As for this afternoon, I just wasn't prepared to take risks in conditions like that.

HYUNDAI
Technical: The Accent WRC3s of Juha Kankkunen and Freddy Loix have been generally reliable today, but Armin Schwarz hit problems with a broken wheel this morning (costing him six minutes as he changed the wheel). He then retired with a loss of fuel pressure near the end of SS9.
Sporting: Freddy Loix was unhappy with his performance this morning and the Belgian also felt that his Accent's set-up forced him to drive more aggressively than he'd have liked. But this afternoon's foggy conditions clearly suited him better - after a half-spin in SS8 he went on to set scratch time in SS9 as he became the top non-Peugeot Michelin car in sixth overall. Team-mate Juha Kankkunen could have done even better, since he'd been the top Hyundai for much of the day, but he slid off the road and beached his car on gravel in SS8. Navigator Juha Repo had to run to find spectators to help, and the pair lost about five minutes as a result. They still arrived back in Villa Carlos Paz this evening in 15th. The third Accent driver, Armin Schwarz, lost six minutes in SS3 when a wheel broke, and any hopes of a recovery were dashed when his car lost fuel pressure and stopped in SS9.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "It's been a hard day's work and I haven't been happy with my own driving on a few of the stages but at the end, we're in quite a good position and hopefully we can build on that.

SKODA
Technical: The Octavia WRCs of Kenneth Eriksson, Toni Gardemeister and Gabriel Pozzo have been basically reliable today, although Gardemeister did suffered a puncture in SS9.
Sporting: Toni Gardemeister felt that his times didn't match up with his performance this morning, but the young Finn took more risks in the fog this afternoon (he drove up a bank on a straight in SS8, then set fourth fastest time despite a puncture in SS9) and that helped. He ended the day in eighth. Kenneth Eriksson was happier with his Octavia once he'd changed the rear suspension, and the veteran Swede holds 12th overnight, two places clear of the third Octavia of local driver Gabriel Pozzo.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "It's been a strange day - even when I thought our times would be good they weren't. But we've ended up in quite a good place and hopefully we can push further tomorrow.

MITSUBISHI
Technical: Alister McRae bent his Lancer Evo WRC's steering on this morning's second stage, and then he lost further time with a mousse insert break-up and a puncture in SS5 and SS6. He lost almost all of his brakes for both of the final two stages, and had to use the handbrake to get the Lancer turned into corners. Team-mate François Delecour damaged his car's suspension over a jump in SS6, rolled and although he continued with just three wheels, he pulled over before a narrow section instead of risking holding up fellow competitors.
Sporting: Alister McRae has endured a difficult day, with only a few stages without mechanical problems. He suffered bent steering, a mousse break-up and a puncture this morning, then a loss of brakes in this afternoon's fog. The Scot has been able to post respectable times between his glitches, though, and he ended the day in 13th overall. Team-mate François Delecour looked set to hold a top-10 placing but in SS6, the Frenchman broke his car's suspension over a jump and rolled. He was able to continue slowly on three wheels, but a narrow section of road followed and he elected to stop, rather than hold up any of his fellow competitors.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "It's been hard work today with our problems, but we're at least still here. The brake problem was pretty bad, though - I don't like having no stopping power when the fog's as bad as that.

OTHER ENTRIES
Marcos Ligato and Toshihiro Arai have swapped fastest times in the Group N category for more standard machinery, but gearbox and brake problems have hampered the Japanese driver in some tests and Ligato leads him by more than three minutes overnight.

The FIA World Rally Championship makes its sole visit to the American continent for its sixth round, the Rally Argentina, which starts in earnest tomorrow morning. After a ceremonial start in Villa Carlos Paz this evening, the sport's top drivers will start fight for victory in the daunting mountain roads to the north and west of Cordoba.
Most teams will simply be aiming to break Peugeot's current run of form. The French manufacturer has posted one-two finishes on the last four rounds of the championship, with Marcus Grönholm and Gilles Panizzi claiming two victories apiece to hold first and second in the drivers' championship. Reigning title-holder Richard Burns also holds third for Peugeot but the 206 WRC has never won in Argentina. That alone should give rivals Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz (both in Fords) and Subaru's Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg extra hope on the Argentine stages, which blend fast, smooth and sandy roads with narrow, rock-strewn tracks.

PEUGEOT (1st - 68 points)
Technical: Peugeot has made no major revisions to the 206 WRC, although this will be the last event for the 2001-specification model before the new version appears in Greece next month. The team has entered four cars, with Gilles Panizzi using the test car. All four are fitted with three 'active' differentials, but none will use the hydraulic anti-roll bar system.
Sporting: Peugeot sends four 206 WRCs to Argentina, with Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Harri Rovanperä nominated for manufacturers' points. French asphalt specialist Gilles Panizzi will thus be eligible for drivers' points only, although the Catalunya and Corsica winner will primarily be aiming to gain experience of the stages. Rovanperä has tasted recent success in South America - the Finn triumphed on a knowledge-gaining exercise on the Corona Rally Mexico, held shortly after the last world championship round in Cyprus.
Quotes: Richard Burns said: "We're feeling pretty good about things. I've found a few more improvements to my set-up since Cyprus. Immediately after that rally I went to Greece for two days' testing, and when I came here I did another day's work and that confirmed everything that we'd discovered beforehand. I've been very impressed with how the 206 doesn't let me feel the rough or the ruts. Running so far up the starting order, it would obviously be a little better for us tomorrow if it rains, because that would pack down the loose, sandy gravel and give us all a similar level of grip.
Marcus Grönholm said: "We did a day's testing for here but there wasn't so much new stuff to try - we had about three different suspension set-ups that will allow us to change for damp, dry or wet conditions. I'm quite confident, really - the car was quick and strong in Cyprus and that's basically the sort of car that you also need here. I was fast here in 2000 but we struggled a bit last year, so I think we can improve on that for sure.

SUBARU (2nd - 27 points)
Technical: Subaru's Impreza WRC2002s are essentially unchanged from their Cyprus specification, although the team has made small changes to the differential mapping. The Prodrive-run team has sent two re-built Catalunya cars to the event.
Sporting: Subaru sends two Impreza WRC2002s for Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "The roads here are quite sandy and soft, and in some places during the recce I've seen pretty bad ruts. If it rains the softer gravel could turn to mud, which could be pretty nasty, or if it stays dry we'll have to try to stay in the ruts to keep good grip. But I must say that I'm quite pleased with the car and the set-up that we've found.
Tommi Mäkinen said: "I have a good feeling for this rally. We've done some good testing in the last few weeks in general and I'm quite comfortable with the car - certainly we have made some progress with the suspension, especially at the rear of the car. I don't know how we'll compare with the others, of course. A lot might depend on the weather - if it's slightly damp and cool then I think that Pirelli have some very good tyres for those conditions.

FORD (3rd - 27 points)
Technical: Ford sends two new Focus RS WRC02s for Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae, with Markko Martin using a re-built car from earlier in the season. The Focus specification remains basically unchanged since Cyprus.
Sporting: Ford sends its regular three Focus RS WRC02 drivers - Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin - to this event. The team's occasional fourth starter, François Duval, completed the pre-event reconnaissance to gain knowledge of the terrain and roads.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "I feel quite confident here in Argentina. The Focus was strong here last year and it works well in the slightly rough and rutted conditions that I think we might have on the roads. Argentina is a good all-round test for the cars.
Colin McRae said: "I think it'll be an advantage to run near the front of the field, because the roads are quite sandy and that breaks up quickly. When that happens, you end up with quite a lot of loose and a slippery surface. I think it's going to be three days of very tough competition here. I'd expect the road conditions will deteriorate quite a lot for the second day, when we're running over the stages for the second time.
Markko Martin said: "This will be a hard rally for me because even though I did the recce last year, I only made pacenotes and we didn't go on to do the rally. So tomorrow morning will be the first time I've actually competed here in Argentina.

MITSUBISHI (4th - 6 points)
Technical: Ralliart engineers believe they have made a step forward with the Lancer Evo WRC since Cyprus. The team has concentrated on finding a balance between the car's front and rear suspension settings to improve handling, and the drivers both report that gains have been made. Ralliart has also made improvements to the car's damper and differential settings, and the team has strengthened the car's driveshafts after the series of failures in Cyprus. Mitsubishi's 'Step Two' Lancer World Rally Car has run in anger for the first time, meanwhile - the car completed its first miles in Wales last week.
Sporting: Mitsubishi reverts back to a two-car team for this event, sending its regular drivers François Delecour and Alister McRae.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "The car feels pretty good here, actually - certainly an improvement from Cyprus. We basically expected that, because it's always been stronger on faster stretches of road - where you're on the throttle for longer - and there's more of that here.
François Delecour said: "I'm quite happy with the car. We've definitely found some things in the suspension and the differentials since Cyprus, and it's much easier to drive and commit with the car. I don't know how we can do here, though. If the weather is dry it'll be quite sandy but if it turns wet then it'll get very slippery and there could be a lot of accidents.

HYUNDAI (5th - 2 points)
Technical: Hyundai sends three Accent WRC3s to this event, including one brand new car for Armin Schwarz The cars' specification has changed little since Cyprus - the team has concentrated on damper work during its pre-event testing, and also introduced a strengthened sump guard. Freddy Loix has endured a difficult few days in his car, however - the Belgian lost much of his test mileage due to engine problems, and then his car suffered a loss of hydraulic pressure at this morning's pre-event shakedown.
Sporting: Hyundai has entered three Accent WRC3s for the team's regular gravel line-up - Armin Schwarz, Freddy Loix and four-times world champion Juha Kankkunen.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: "I'm pleased with the set-up we've found for the car - it's pretty much as good as we can achieve at the moment. But the real problem on this event for me will be knowledge. I've only been here once before, last year, and Manfred (Hiemer) and I have made a lot of changes in the pacenotes on this year's recce because last year, we had fog. It'll be difficult to ensure that we can still be committed but not make any mistakes at the same time.
Freddy Loix said: "I didn't get much of a test here because of the engine problems but at least today I got in a few runs. The car feels fine and this is a rally where the stages are quite nice for the drivers. The only thing might be the soft, sandy gravel. There will be ruts for the second time through stages and if it rains, it could get really muddy.

SKODA (6th- 0 points)
Technical: Skoda has made no major changes to the Octavia WRC since Cyprus, apart from a slightly stronger sump guard. The Czech manufacturer will use two new cars in Argentina - in the hands of Toni Gardemeister and Kenneth Eriksson - with third driver Gabriel Pozzo driving the re-built test car.

Sporting: Regular Skoda Octavia WRC drivers Toni Gardemeister and Kenneth Eriksson are joined by a local driver, reigning Group N World Champion Gabriel Pozzo, on this event. Pozzo is the first Argentine driver to start a rally in a factory-entered car since Jorge Recalde on this rally 10 years ago.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "My feeling with the car here depends a lot on the conditions. After our testing I have a very good feeling on the smoother, softer roads but once it starts to get rutted or rough, it isn't so nice. This will be a hard rally for me anyway - I've only been here once before two years ago and even then, I only completed one stage so I don't know the roads or conditions very well at all. Having finished the recce and seen the stages, though, I think it'll be very bad if it rains.
Kenneth Eriksson said: "We've made a few change to the suspension in testing and even at the shakedown this morning, and we've also played a bit with the differentials. I think the weather could make a big difference, because if it rains heavily then there's going to be a lot of mud and road position could be crucial.
Gabriel Pozzo said: "It's important for me to be compared to Jorge Recalde because he was a very good driver. This is the most important chance of my career, so I have to say thank-you to Skoda for their support."

CITROEN
Citroen is not present on the Rally Argentina, but the French manufacturer tested in the region at the same time as the rest of the world championship teams. It spent several days gathering data in preparation for its 14-round programme in 2003.

OTHER ENTRIES
Argentina is a round of the FIA World Championship for Drivers of Production Cars, and with the series leader Kristian Sohlberg missing this event, many of his leading challengers will be aiming grab the points advantage. Peruvian Ramon Ferreyros reverts back to a Lancer Evo 7 after he used an E6 in Cyprus, while Karamjit Singh - who claimed maximum points on the Mediterranean island event - continues to use his Proton Pert. Multiple category champion Gustavo Trelles has a brand new Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 for this round, while Toshihiro Arai's team has strengthened the gear selection parts on his Subaru in an attempt to give the Japanese driver improved reliability on the difficult Argentine stages.

STAGE ITINERARY
GMT -3
Leg 1 - Friday 17th May (479.17 km)
06:40 Start from Villa Carlos Paz
08:33 SS 1 Capilla del Monte - San Marcos Sierra 23.02km
09:04 SS 2 San Marcos Sierra - Cuchi Corral 26.97km
10:54 SS 3 Cosquin - Villa Allende 19.19km
12:07 SS 4 Complejo Pro-Racing 1 3.44km
SS 5 Complejo Pro-Racing 2 3.44km
13:12 SS 6 Tanti - Cosquin 16.07km
14:10 SS 7 La Falda - Villa Giardino 9.37km
15:13 SS 8 La Cumbre - Agua de Oro 23.46km
16:05 SS 9 Ascochinga - La Cumbre 28.83km
18:42 End of leg 1 in Villa Carlos Paz

Leg 2 - Saturday 18th May (477.97 km)
06:40 Start from Villa Carlos Paz
08:33 SS 10 Capilla del Monte - San Marcos Sierra 23.02km
09:04 SS 11 San Marcos Sierra - Cuchi Corral 26.97km
10:54 SS 12 Cosquin - Villa Allende 19.19km
12:07 SS 13 Complejo Pro-Racing 3 3.44km
SS 14 Complejo Pro-Racing 4 3.44km
13:12 SS 15 Tanti - Cosquin 16.07km
14:10 SS 16 La Falda - Villa Giardino 9.37km
15:13 SS 17 La Cumbre - Agua de Oro 23.46km
16:05 SS 18 Ascochinga - La Cumbre 28.83km
18:42 End of leg 2 in Villa Carlos Paz

Leg 3 - Sunday 19th May (498.86 km)
06:00 Start from Villa Carlos Paz
09:00 SS 19 El Condor - Copina 16.77km
10:13 SS 20 Giulio Cesare - Mina Clavero 22.82km
10:53 SS 21 Cura Brochero - Cienaga de Allende 13.63km
12:37 SS 22 El Mirador - San Lorenzo 20.65km
15:33 Finish of the rally in Cordoba (Stadium)

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