2002 FIA World Rally Championship
49th Acropolis Rally 2002
http://www.acropolisrally.gr
Round 7 of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship
13-16 June 2002
Extract from Official FIA Press Release
http://www.fia.com
[WRC] Acropolis Rally: Final
UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS
OUTRIGHT
1 McRae Ford Focus RS WRC 4:27:43,8
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:28:08,3
3 Sainz Ford Focus RS WRC 4:29:29,4
4 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 4:29:41,4
5 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 4:29:42,4
6 Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 4:30:23,9
7 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 4:31:29,6
8 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC 4:32:52,5
9 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC 4:33:24,8
10 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC 4:35:01,2
JUNIOR WRC
1 Tuohino Citroen Saxo GTS 5:04:27,8
2 Dallavilla Citroen Saxo 5:05:51,1
3 Caldini Fiat Punto 5:07:13,7
4 Sola Citroen Saxo 5:08:08,5
5 Rowe Ford Puma 5:09:50,8
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers:
Grönholm (FIN) 37
Sainz (E) 23
Panizzi (F) 20
McRae (GB) 20
Burns (GB) 19
Solberg (N) 15
Mäkinen (FIN) 14
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:
Peugeot 77
Ford 55
Subaru 35
Mitsubishi 6
Skoda 5
Hyundai 4
FIA Junior World Rally Championship (after 3 of 6 rounds):
Sola (E) 13
Tuohino (FIN) 12
Dallavilla (I) 12
Duval (B) 11
Caldani (I) 10
FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars (after 4 of 8 rounds):
Ferreyros (PE) 20
Singh (MAL) 14
Trelles (ROU) 12
Arai (JP) 12
Sohlberg (FIN) 10
Iliev (BG) 9
STAGE WINNERS
Martin 1,4,5,8,12
Grönholm 13,14,15
Solberg 6,11,7
Radstrom 2
Loix 3
Burns 9
Rovanperä 16
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS14 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC No oil
SS13 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC Suspension
SS13 A.McRae Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Suspension
SS8 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
SS6 Makinen Subaru Impreza Hit rock/power steering
Sunday, 16th June 2002
Ford driver Colin McRae has scored his first victory for a year on the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Acropolis Rally, which finished in Greece today. The Scot and navigator Nicky Grist, whose last win came on the same event 12 months ago, fended off a late challenge from current championship leader Marcus Grönholm to score their fifth Acropolis win in the last seven years. The victory moved McRae into fourth in the drivers' championship race and also lifted him alongside Carlos Sainz and Tommi Mäkinen on the record number of WRC event wins (24)
After two days with relatively few retirements, the notoriously rough Greek roads fought back with a vengeance today. Four manufacturer entries, including second-placed Richard Burns and fifth-placed Freddy Loix, retired with mechanical problems. Burns's dramas lifted McRae's Ford team-mate Carlos Sainz into third overall by the finish, a result that lifted the Spaniard into second in the drivers' championship.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin have been reliable today.
Sporting: Colin McRae rattled off today's four scheduled stages to claim his first WRC event win in a year. The closing kilometres weren't without drama, however - at the end of one stage, McRae had to use a rock to bend back bodywork that had been pushed into a wheel when he misheard a pacenote, slid wide and hit a tree. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, eased away from Harri Rovanperä and Freddy Loix during today's stages and the Spaniard was promoted to third overall once Richard Burns retired on the first stage of the day. He now lies second in the drivers' championship standings. Early event leader Markko Martin continued his recovery after his puncture yesterday, and the young Estonian's efforts were rewarded with a single point for sixth overall at the finish.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "It's been a full year since we won but we've been so close many times. I certainly hope it's not another year before we win again - it can't be, if we're going to have a go at the championship. The key to the win here this time was the car's strength, because we were able to keep a good pace throughout and we never had any problems. It obviously makes our championship situation better but we have to look for a similar result on the Safari Rally now to get up some momentum.
Ford World Rally team boss Malcolm Wilson said: "It's a great result for the whole team. We desperately needed as many points as we could get from here and it's fantastic to get first and third. Hopefully this can kick-start Colin's season now as well. I'm also very, very pleased for Markko. If he hadn't had his problems yesterday then it would have been difficult for anyone to catch him today.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Marcus Grönholm and Harri Rovanperä have been reliable today. But Richard Burns had to retire his car when it broke a suspension bottom arm on this morning's first stage.
Sporting: Richard Burns and Marcus Grönholm had expected to be locked in battle during this final day, but the Peugeot team-mates were denied their chance to fight when Burns retired with broken suspension in the opening stage this morning. That left Grönholm to pursue leader Colin McRae, but the time deficit was too large and the 2000 world champion settled for second at the finish. The result still extended his championship lead, however - he now has a 14-point cushion over second-placed man Carlos Sainz. Harri Rovanperä benefited from the retirements of Burns and Freddy Loix this morning, but the Finn came under later pressure from Petter Solberg as he tried to defend his fourth place. He ceded the position to the Norwegian on the penultimate stage, but fought back with fastest time in the last test to reclaim fourth.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "The gap to Colin was just too big today - I couldn't quite catch him. But it's still good that we scored some points and the gap in the championship is bigger now. The next rally, the Safari, is not one of my favourites but I'll be hoping to at least finish and get some points.
Richard Burns said: "I still feel a bit numb, to be honest. There was no warning about the suspension and I don't remember hitting anything, but there was no way we could continue. Obviously it makes the championship situation look harder now, but we just have to pick ourselves up for the Safari.
SUBARU
Technical: Petter Solberg reckoned that his car was slightly too softly sprung on today's second stage, but the Norwegian has encountered no major mechanical problems otherwise. His team-mate Toshihiro Arai ran without problems today.
Sporting: Petter Solberg's recovery from his first-day dramas picked up further pace today. Despite lacking confidence in his car's brakes near the end of the opening stage he charged ever closer to Harri Rovanperä. With the retirements of Richard Burns and Freddy Loix, Solberg was able to inch into fifth and he made that fourth with one stage remaining, as he passed Rovanperä. However, a mistake at the very last corner of the final test cost Solberg enough time to drop him back to fifth, by a single second. Toshihiro Arai, meanwhile, continued his steady run today. The Japanese driver eventually finished 13th.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "I thought I might get fourth but then at the very last corner, there was a lot of loose and I just stopped - not stalled, but stopped. But as we drove away I said to Phil (Mills, his navigator) that the place had gone, and it had. It's disappointing in a way but I've learnt about how to recover quickly after disappointments and I think it's great to get two points after all our problems on Friday.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Freddy Loix's hopes of a points finish ended after this morning's second stage. The Belgian had hit a large rock and cracked the sump guard, and his Accent's engine went sick shortly afterwards. He reached the end of the test but the damage to the car's crank sensor meant that he could proceed no further. Armin Schwarz's car, meanwhile, has run reliably today.
Sporting: Freddy Loix lost his fifth position on the second stage this morning, when the Belgian hit a rock and damaged his crank sensor beyond repair. Although he reached the end of the test, he was unable to continue. Armin Schwarz, meanwhile, has felt better today after he was troubled by an upset stomach for much of yesterday. The German didn't like his Accent's handling in the more rutted conditions but he still brought the car home in ninth, scoring a manufacturers' point for Hyundai.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: "It's been a hard event for us - if we hadn't had the problems on Friday then we'd have had a better road position for yesterday, and we could have been higher up. But we've shown good pace again and it's good to get a point for the team.
Freddy Loix said: "I know we drove very well on this rally and the car was excellent. I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to get the finish for everyone in the team who'd worked so hard.
CITROEN
Technical: The Xsara WRCs of Thomas Radstrom and Sebastien Loeb have been generally reliable today.
Sporting: Thomas Radstrom and Sebastien Loeb both continued to experiment with set-up today, as Citroen continued to gain experience of the Xsara WRC on the Acropolis stages. Radstrom said he lacked confidence of the car on heavy loose surfaces, while Loeb was more impressed with the Xsara in high-speed sections than the twisty roads. Radstrom finished eighth, while Loeb just missed out on a point in seventh.
Quotes: Thomas Radstrom said: "The hardest thing for me has been building up confidence in the car. There are many places where it's fine, but somewhere were you need commitment can be quite difficult. We haven't tried the traction control today but we experimented with differential settings. We've learnt a lot and got both cars to the finish.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: François Delecour has reported no major mechanical problems today, but his team-mate Alister McRae was forced to retire this morning. He broke the right-front bottom ball joint in his Lancer's suspension when he clipped a concrete culvert in a tight corner.
Sporting: Alister McRae retired his Lancer in SS13, when he broke a bottom ball joint on a concrete culvert that was hidden on the inside of a tight corner. François Delecour, meanwhile, was pipped to a top 10 position by Skoda's Toni Gardemeister in the closing stage. The Frenchman finished 11th.
Quotes: François Delecour said: "It was disappointing this afternoon when Alister retired, because I was enjoying the fight with him - like a sort of 'Mitsubishi trophy'! Once he went out we didn't really have anything to fight for so we just tried to get round to the finish. It's been a hard event for us and it's clear we need to find some more pace, but at least our car has been reliable.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson lost the front brakes on his Octavia WRC for much of this morning's second stage, and the problem returned for the closing tests as well. His team-mate Toni Gardemeister also reported minor brake problems, and he was also troubled by his car bottoming out in the rougher sections this morning. Stig Blomqvist's Octavia has struggled with differential problems today.
Sporting: Toni Gardemeister was slowed this morning by brake problems, but the young Finn recovered this afternoon to overhaul Francois Delecour and claim 10th by the finish. His team-mate Kenneth Eriksson suffered more persistent brake problems as he eventually claimed 14th, while veteran Stig Blomqvist finished 17th in his Octavia.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "The Acropolis Rally might be a bit smoother than before but we've seen here that it's still a very tough rally. We had a few too many problems to get close to the points but at least all three of our cars have reached the finish. That gives us good confidence for the Safari next month.
OTHER ENTRIES
Finnish driver Janne Tuohino became the third winner in three rounds of the FIA Junior World Championship, as he triumphed in a tense battle with Jussi Valimaki today. The Citroen drivers started this morning's stages expecting a close scrap, but Valimaki's engine expired after he hit a rock and that handed Tuohino an advantage that he held until the finish. Italian driver Andrea Dallavilla claimed second, while late problems for Daniel Sola (steering) and Martin Rowe (puncture) allowed Nicola Caldani into third.
[WRC] Acropolis Rally: End of Leg 2
END OF LEG 2
OUTRIGHT
1 McRae Ford Focus RS WRC 3:23:02,1
2 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 3:23:34,7
3 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 3:23:44,4
4 Sainz Ford Focus RS WRC 3:24:32,3
5 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC3 3:24:40,0
6 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 3:24:56,8
7 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 3:25:11,6
8 Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 3:25:23,9
9 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 3:25:29,6
10 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC 3:26:31,0
JUNIOR WRC
1 Valimaki Citroen Saxo GTS 3:47:48,7
2 Tuohino Citroen Saxo GTS 3:47:57,1
3 Rowe Ford Puma 3:51:26,5
4 Dallavilla Citroen Saxo 3:51:32,6
5 Caldini Fiat Punto 3:52:54,3
STAGE WINNERS
SS7 - Solberg, SS8 - Martin, SS9 - Burns, SS10 - Cancelled, SS11 - Solberg, SS12 - Martin
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS6 Makinen Subaru Impreza Hit rock/power steering
SS8 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
Saturday, 15th June 2002
Ford driver Colin McRae holds the overnight lead on the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Acropolis Rally, which continued today. The Scot took over the top position when his young team-mate Markko Martin had to stop to change a flat tyre on the day's longest stage, and McRae enjoys a 33-second cushion over fellow Briton Richard Burns.
Yet again, the rough Greek roads have inflicted a surprisingly small amount of damage on the manufacturer entries, with only one retirement (Hyundai's Juha Kankkunen). But the re-use of stretches of road has caused concerns about tyre wear and suspension, and placed mechanical strength at a premium as several close battles in the top ten moved towards the final day.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae and Markko Martin have all been reliable today, although Martin lost time when he suffered a right-rear puncture and had to stop to change the wheel in SS9. Sainz lost time in the day's final stage when his car's gearbox stuck and then began to select gears of its own accord. The Spaniard had to stop and change the unit back to manual mode before he could continue.
Sporting: Markko Martin started today's stages expecting a strong challenge from his team-mate Colin McRae and the Scot quickly grabbed just over two seconds from his overnight advantage in the day's opening stage. Martin fought back, though, taking nearly six seconds from McRae in SS8 to hold a lead of just under a minute at the day's second service. However, in the long Elatia stage Martin punctured a right-rear tyre and the rubber began to damage the rear of the car, so he stopped to change the wheel. The resulting time loss handed the lead to McRae (who'd passed Freddy Loix in the opening stage) and dropped Martin out of the points. He ended the day eighth and embroiled in a fight with Petter Solberg and Sebastien Loeb. McRae, meanwhile, consolidated his lead to eke out a 33s cushion over Richard Burns. Carlos Sainz lost a place to Marcus Grönholm this morning but the Spaniard in turn moved past Harri Rovanperä in the day's longest stage. Gearbox problems cost him time in the last stage of the day, but he still holds fourth overnight, albeit more than 45 seconds off a podium place.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "Today moved things back in our direction but regardless of what happened with Markko, we're still involved in the same battle with the people behind us. We've just got to keep them behind tomorrow.
Markko Martin said: "We had about 12km to go in the long stage and I felt the tyre at the right-rear start to go down. Then the rubber was moving around - I tried to carry on for about another two kilometres but it was going to do some serious damage so we had to stop to change the wheel. We don't carry a nut gun because of weight, so we had to use the wheel brace and it took some extra time. Then when we got going again, we'd just been passed by Bruno Thiry so we had to drive in his dust.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Richard Burns, Harri Rovanperä and Marcus Grönholm have been reliable today, although the team is to inspect Rovanperä's differentials at this evening's service after he suffered excessive tyre wear for much of the day.
Sporting: Richard Burns was determined to make quick progress on cleaner roads this morning and the reigning world champion soon moved clear of both his team-mate Harri Rovanperä and Ford's Carlos Sainz. His third position then became second when Markko Martin hit trouble, so Burns will start tomorrow's final leg 33s behind Colin McRae. Marcus Grönholm also passed Sainz and Rovanperä this morning and he closed to within 10 seconds of his team-mate, in third overall. Rovanperä lost time with tyres coming off their rims in both SS8 and SS9. He dropped to sixth as a result.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "I don't have such a good feeling here with the roads and it's easy for me to find places where I can slide wide, get into the loose gravel and lose more time. I felt more comfortable on the second runs over stages, though, and I think we can fight for second tomorrow.
Richard Burns said: "It's been going well today. I chose a different tyre compound this morning and it gave me a bit more grip, so I was really able to attack. The gap between Colin and me is quite big and it's going to be hard to keep Marcus behind tomorrow. Our aim is to secure second.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Armin Schwarz's Accent WRC3 was reliable until today's final pair of stages, when a brake calliper connector broke. Team mate Freddy Loix's car lost oil from its left-front damper in the long stage, giving the Belgian a difficult-handling car for the last six kilometres of the stage. Juha Kankkunen retired this morning, meanwhile, when the team changed the car's wiring loom in a final attempt to solve the Finnish veteran's engine problems. Upon leaving service Kankkunen reported no improvement and Hyundai elected to withdraw him. The team now suspects a problem with the engine's valves or valve seats.
Sporting: Armin Schwarz has struggled with a badly-upset stomach today, although the German put his slower pace this morning down to a tyre choice that left him short of grip. He and Loix also complained of a lack of power in places, particularly in the steep uphill section at the start of SS8. Schwarz was hit by late brake problems too and he slipped back outside the top ten to 11th, while Loix (who also lost more time with a leaking front damper in SS9) holds fifth. The third Accent driver Juha Kankkunen was withdrawn this morning when the Hyundai team elected to search for the engine problem that had blighted his efforts since yesterday, instead of risking an engine failure and a loss of crucial information.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "The uphill sections were really hard, because we almost had to change down to first gear and when you do that, you get lots more wheelspin and it hurts the tyres. This is still a long event, though, and we're still in with a good chance of some points.
CITROEN
Technical: The Xsara WRCs of Thomas Radstrom and Sebastien Loeb have been generally reliable today.
Sporting: Thomas Radstrom and Sebastien Loeb continue to experiment with settings on their Xsara WRCs, and although neither has reported a serious mechanical problem they have not been able to match the pace of the leading Fords or Subarus. Sebastien Loeb holds ninth in his example, while Thomas Radstrom has tried to use the car's traction control today to learn more about the Xsara's behaviour in rough conditions. He occupies 10th overnight.
Quotes: Thomas Radstrom said: "We've been experimenting with the traction control today and sometimes it's worked, but on one occasion we had the wrong differential mapping the car was actually worse. It seems like we're doing a test but it's really difficult to find a lot of these things when you're not driving on the stages themselves. I'm feeling more comfortable with each stage, though - it's good to have already gone further here than last year.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: Lancer Evo WRC drivers Alister McRae and François Delecour have reported no major mechanical problems today, although both suffered from considerable tyre wear in the final pair of (repeated) stages.
Sporting: Neither Alister McRae or François Delecour has complained of mechanical problems today, but the two team-mates have become drawn into a battle between themselves, albeit outside of the top 10. McRae held the upper hand going into the last stage but he was then slowed by the recovering Toshihiro Arai. He arrived back in Parnassos in 13th. Delecour felt he 'was sleeping' on the opening test this morning but inched ahead of his team-mate in SS12 to end the day in 12th.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "We've pretty much gone the full circle in terms of what we can try with the set-up of this car, and we've actually ended up where we started. It's not going too badly and we seem to have found some good reliability, but obviously we need to find a bit more speed as well. I want to get back past François tomorrow, though!
SUBARU
Technical: Petter Solberg's Impreza WRC2002 has suffered few problems today, although the Norwegian's steering wheel came loose in SS8 and he lost time while navigator Phil Mills took a break from reading pacenotes to try to find the car's toolkit and fix the problem. The other Impreza, driven by Japanese driver Toshihiro Arai, lost its power steering for the closing 20km of the day's longest stage, Elatia and he then had to stop to change a wheel on the day's closing stage.
Sporting: Petter Solberg had little to gain or lose by throwing caution to the wind this morning, and the young Norwegian attacked accordingly. He set fastest time on the opening stage, but then lost a few seconds when his steering wheel came loose in SS8. He was then caught in the recovering Markko Martin's dust in SS9. His pace was enough to lift him from his overnight 17th to seventh at the end of today's action. Toshihiro Arai lost time when his power steering failed this morning and he stopped to change a puncture in SS12, but the Japanese driver still occupies 20th.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "I've been happy today. The car has felt good and my pacenotes have been working well, so I've been able to push quite hard and see how my times compare to the guys who are fighting for the win. It's just a shame that we had the problems yesterday, because otherwise we could be there fighting with them.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson's Octavia lost front differential pressure on today's second stage, and team-mate Stig Blomqvist's front differential started leaking fluid this morning as well. Eriksson then broke a shock absorber near the end of SS9, and the Swede was suitably pleased when the following test was cancelled due to safety reasons. He had to stop to change a wheel in SS11, though. Toni Gardmeister's Octavia also hit differential problems (front and rear) in the closing two stages.
Sporting: After Juha Kankkunen's retirement, Toni Gardemeister had to run first on the road today but he didn't find conditions radically different. He holds 16th overnight, despite late differential problems. Team-mate Kenneth Eriksson was troubled by a front differential problem and a broken shock absorber, and he then had to stop and change a wheel in SS11. That dropped him to 18th overnight. Stig Blomqvist has been forced to switch tyre types because the Skoda team is running low on stock of his preferred choice. That, coupled with a leaking front differential, kept the 1984 world champion in 22nd.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "I thought it would be really bad to be first on the road but in fact, it hasn't been such a big difference. Even in some places it might be better, because it's really hard and technical to keep the car in the clean line after just one car and at least now, I can attack with my own lines.
OTHER ENTRIES
François Duval's lead in the Junior World Rally Championship evaporated when his Ford Puma sheered its wheel studs this morning. The Belgian retired on the spot, handing the category advantage to Finns Janne Tuohino and Jussi Valimaki (who was slowed by an electrical problem). Valimaki inched ahead in the final two stages to lead his countryman by 8.4 seconds going into tomorrow's final leg. The Greek roads have inflicted a high rate of attrition on the front-wheel drive cars - only eight of the Junior entries are still running.
[WRC] Acropolis Rally: End of Leg 1
END OF LEG 1
OUTRIGHT
1 Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 1:43:01,6
2 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC3 1:43:52,3
3 McRae Ford Focus RS WRC 1:43:54,6
4 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 1:43:57,4
5 Sainz Ford Focus RS WRC 1:44:11,0
6 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 1:44:13,3
7 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 1:44:18,4
8 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC3 1:44:18,7
9 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 1:44:22,3
10 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC 1:44:31,3
JUNIOR WRC
1 Duval Ford Puma 1:55:14,0
2 Valimaki Citroen Saxo GTS 1:56:20,9
3 Tuohino Citroen Saxo GTS 1:56:39,6
4 Dallavilla Citroen Saxo 1:57:22,0
5 Caldini Fiat Punto 1:57:25,9
STAGE WINNERS
SS1 - Martin, SS2 - Radstrom, SS3 - Loix, SS4 - Martin, SS5 - Martin, SS6 - Solberg
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS6 Makinen Subaru Impreza Hit rock/power steering
Friday, 14th June 2002
Ford's young driver Markko Martin holds the overnight lead at the end of the first day of the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Acropolis Rally. Using roads swept clean by the early runners, the Estonian set fastest times and was consistently in the top three as he built up an overnight cushion of well over half a minute over Belgian Freddy Loix, himself a beneficiary of the improving road conditions.
This year's Acropolis route had been expected to be smoother than usual and that appears to have been the case, since only one manufacturer entry - Tommi Mäkinen - retired today. Plenty of crews hit problems, though, and the championship front-runners - including Peugeot drivers Marcus Grönholm and Richard Burns, and Ford's Carlos Sainz, had to fight hard to keep themselves in positions from which they might mount a fightback tomorrow.
FORD
Technical: Colin McRae's Focus RS WRC02 suffered overheating rear brakes on this morning's first stage, as the Scot lost feeling and confidence in the middle pedal towards the end of the test. He also chose the wrong tyres for SS3 and SS4. But the cars of Markko Martin and Carlos Sainz have been reliable.
Sporting: Markko Martin was ideally placed to take advantage of swept clean roads this morning, and the young Estonian did exactly that, as he grabbed the lead on the opening stage and held it throughout the day. He has an overnight cushion of more than 50 seconds, and will thus enjoy a similarly advantageous starting position tomorrow. Carlos Sainz started third on the road this morning and while the Spaniard's only mechanical concern was a lot of tyre wear in SS5 and SS6, he had to sweep loose gravel off the road and ended the day in fifth. Colin McRae, meanwhile, lost time on the day's first stage when he caught the recovering Solberg and had to cope with the Subaru's dust in the narrow, twisty sections when it hung in the air. The Scot then overshot a junction in SS3 and stalled at a hairpin in SS4. But he recovered in the closing stages to hold third overnight.
Quotes: Markko Martin said: "I'm happy, not surprised to be in this position because we knew the opportunity was there with cleaned roads to do some good times. We haven't been taking risks as such, but we've been on the limit of the grip, going as quickly as we can while staying in the good clean lines. If we can keep this good pace tomorrow, then anything's possible.
Colin McRae said: "We didn't have a clean run all morning and it was just costing us five seconds here, five seconds there. But we've ended up with a good road position for tomorrow.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Juha Kankkunen's Accent WRC3 lost boost pressure at all but the highest engine revs on this morning's opening two stages, costing the Finnish veteran time in the twistier sections of road. His car's engine lapsed onto three cylinders in SS3 and SS4, pointing to an electrical problem. He racked up road penalties as the Hyundai team tried to cure the glitch. Armin Schwarz's has been reliable in the stages but the team discovered a loose water pipe late in the afternoon service halt and lost 20 seconds of road penalties as the mechanics tried to fix it. Freddy Loix's Accent has been reliable, however.
Sporting: Armin Schwarz and Freddy Loix have both been pleased by recent development work on the Accent WRC3 and they put it to good use on the swept-clean roads that they faced this morning. Loix was fastest on the third stage and the Belgian was a regular in the top six on the timesheets as he proved the most consistent challenger to leader Markko Martin. As a result, he ended the day in second overall, 51s off the lead. Armin Schwarz would have been closer to his team-mate but his Hyundai team found a loose water pipe late in a service halt and he picked up 20 seconds of penalties for arriving at the exit control two minutes late. The German is still in contention, though - he holds eighth overnight. The third Accent driver Juha Kankkunen lost time with engine problems today and the Finnish veteran lies well outside the top ten as a result.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "I have to say that I haven't been taking big risks today but it's all come together really well for us. I have a good feeling with the car and with the road position tomorrow I don't see why we can't keep this sort of speed.
PEUGEOT
Technical: Richard Burns suffered from poor feeling in his brakes this morning, although the problem was later traced to a faulty differential sensor. Harri Rovanperä, meanwhile, complained of excessive oversteer in SS2 but he believed the problem was caused by too soft a tyre choice. Marcus Grönholm's 206 WRC, meanwhile, has been reliable today.
Sporting: Peugeot's three entries always faced an uphill struggle to overcome their high road position today, and championship leader Marcus Grönholm has struggled to stay in contention as he swept the road clear of loose gravel for his rivals. The Finn lost most of his time in SS4, when he spun at a slow corner and stalled his car's engine. He ended the day in seventh as a result. Harri Rovanperä felt that he opted for too soft a tyre on this morning's opening two stages, but the Finn was happier the afternoon and he recovered to put his 206 into fourth. Richard Burns lost confidence in his car's braking this morning (the problem was traced to a differential sensor) but the reigning champion still posted some top six times to end the day in sixth.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "There's no doubt that running first on the road hasn't helped today. There's been a lot of loose in some places and at one slow corner I just got caught out and spun. First place looks a long way away now.
Richard Burns said: "The differential sensor problem meant that I just lost a bit of confidence under braking, and that cost me a bit of time. That aside, of course we haven't been helped by road conditions and it's definitely been cleaning. All we can do is keep pushing and try to stay in touch so we can fight as the event goes on
CITROEN
Technical: The Xsara WRCs of Thomas Radstrom and Sebastien Loeb have been generally reliable today, although both drivers reported a softening brake pedal towards the end of the day's first stage.
Sporting: Citroen came to Greece in search of further experience with the Xsara WRC on gravel and the French team has continued that learning process today. Thomas Radstrom showed signs of speed, such as a fastest time on the day's second stage, but the Swede has elected to aim for mileage and he paced himself accordingly. He holds 10th overnight while team-mate Sebastien Loeb (another man keen to accrue gravel miles in the Xsara) holds ninth after a relatively troublefree day.
Quotes: Thomas Radstrom said: "The hardest thing today has been judging how quickly to actually drive, because I haven't done a gravel rally since this event last year. On an event like the Acropolis, you always have to balance how hard you push with how you want to the car to last, and it's been hard for me to do that with so little practice.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: Alister McRae's Lancer Evo WRC has been reliable today, but team-mate François Delecour has had a few problems. He was one of several drivers to suffer from a lack of brake power towards the end of the first stage this morning, and then he damaged his car's right rear suspension on a rock in SS3.
Sporting: Mitsubishi drivers Alister McRae and François Delecour had hoped to benefit from cleaner roads today but in fact, they found it hard to battle with both the Hyundais. Alister McRae had no real mechanical problems but the Scot had to fight hard to get his Lancer within sight of the top ten. He finished the day in 11th. Brake problems and suspension damage hampered his team-mate François Delecour, though - he holds 12th, just one second further behind.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "At least we're getting a clean run, so we can have an idea of where we are and what needs to be done. We know the areas that we're working on and I'm confident it'll be better with the 'Step Two' car - but for the moment, I'd be happy if the car keeps running like this for the remainder of this event so we can continue to learn.
SUBARU
Technical: Tommi Mäkinen encountered a sticking throttle this morning and cooked his brakes slowing the car down as a result. The Finn then suffered power steering failure when he hit a rock in SS5, and he damaged his car's right-front suspension terminally when he hit a rock and lost a wheel in SS6. Petter Solberg's main technical problem occurred when he suffered a half-spin on today's first stage. His car stalled and then refused to restart for around a minute and a half. The young Norwegian then damaged his left-front track control arm and broke a right-rear wheel hub in separate incidents in SS4. He suffered brake knock-off in SS5, and his car's rear brakes were on fire as he arrived at the stage finish. Toshihiro Arai's car has been generally reliable, although the Japanese driver did feel that he was suffering from excessive understeer, particularly SS2.
Sporting: Petter Solberg lost virtually any chance of taking his first WRC win on this morning's opening stage. The Norwegian had a half-spin but his Impreza's engine stalled and it took nearly a minute and a half to get the car moving again. That problem - and two separate car damaging incidents in SS4 - dropped Solberg outside the top ten to 17th, leaving him with an uphill struggle over the coming days to even break into the points positions. Tommi Mäkinen, by contrast, looked likely to challenge for the points positions but the Finn's Impreza developed a throttle problem in SS3 and then lost its power steering in SS5. He slid into a rock in SS6 as a result, and lost a wheel, retiring on the spot. Toshihiro Arai has concentrated on reacclimatising to a World Rally Car on his first works outing of 2002, and the Japanese driver is 13th.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "It's very disappointing. Okay, we had a small spin but then the car wouldn't re-start and we lost so much time that there's no chance of a result now. All we can really aim to do now is finish.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson hit problems on the way to this morning's first stage, when it became clear that his Octavia WRC's rear differential was not locking properly. The system fluctuated during the opening pair of tests, often costing the Swede grip when he needed it most. Toni Gardemeister also struggled with grip on the second stage, as the young Finn felt that his car's rear was sliding around too much. He then suffered from a front differential fluid leak in SS3 and SS4.
Sporting: Toni Gardemeister had differential problems during today's second pair of stages and the young Finn dropped further away from the top ten as a result. He holds 14th overnight, while team-mate Kenneth Eriksson (who also lost time with differential problems) is 18th. Stig Blomqvist was unsure about his car's handling after he hit a large rock in SS1 and suffered from a vibration, but the veteran Swede continued and he occupies 23rd.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "I wasn't happy with the car on this morning's second stage at all - it was so difficult to drive, because the rear end was sliding around. It didn't make any difference if I was braking or accelerating - it was still sliding.
OTHER ENTRIES
Ford Puma driver François Duval holds the advantage in the FIA Junior World Championship category but as expected, the Greek roads have inflicted a high rate of attrition on the series young guns in their 1600cc cars. Daniel Sola, who triumphed on the last round in Catalunya, lost time when he stopped to change a puncture, and others to hit trouble included Roger Feghali (water leak), Juha Kangas (accident) and Gianluigi Galli (broken battery). Duval's nearest challenger is Simon Jean-Joseph's Renault but the Martinique driver is not registered for the Junior WRC series, so the closest threat to Duval claiming a maximum score is Finn Jussi Valimaki in a Citroen Saxo.
[WRC] Acropolis Rally: Introduction
Thursday, 13th June 2002
After its brief foray into South America on the Rally Argentina last month, the FIA World Rally Championship moves back to Europe for its seventh round, the Acropolis Rally, which starts in earnest tomorrow morning. The Greek event boasts the hottest conditions that the world's top rally stars will encounter all season, and with many of the stages being used twice in this year's schedule, the Acropolis's reputation as Europe's hardest rally on cars is likely to be reinforced.
The late exclusions of both Marcus Grönholm and Richard Burns in Argentina handed a surprised Carlos Sainz his 24th victory at world championship level, drawing the Spaniard alongside Tommi Mäkinen at the top of the all-time winners list. His Ford team and rivals Subaru will be hoping to take further points from Peugeot this time, but the French manufacturer is introducing a new homologation of its 206 WRC as it tries to stay in front.
PEUGEOT (1st - 68 points)
Technical: Peugeot introduces the third evolution of its 206 WRC in Greece, and all three of the team's nominated drivers - Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Harri Rovanperä - have brand new cars accordingly. The French manufacturer has tried to increase durability and improve cooling. The most visible change on the new car is a different rear wing, which has been altered to improve downforce when the car is sliding sideways.
Sporting: Peugeot's hopes for the Acropolis will depend largely on the performance and reliability of the new evolution of the 206 WRC, which makes its debut here. The team has nominated three drivers - Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Harri Rovanperä - for manufacturers' points, while regular asphalt driver Gilles Panizzi will use an older specification car run by Bozian Racing. Peugeot has tested extensively for this event, including five days in Spain and four days in Greece.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "The new car doesn't actually feel so different when you drive it - the engine's similar and the handling is basically the same. The difference is that it's stronger, so maybe we can be a bit more committed in the rougher sections - but that's not something I'm really thinking about. We had a good test for here and I certainly think it's possible to fight for the victory. After our problems in Argentina a win here would be a good return.
FORD (2nd - 41 points)
Technical: Ford has chosen the same 'conservative' route as Subaru in terms of car specification for the Acropolis - no major revisions have been introduced on the Focus RS WRC02 for this event, although the team has tried to make small gains in weight in a few areas. The three Focuses (all previously-used cars) will use a regular wishbone set-up, not the 'flatter' unit that allows a little more ground clearance.
Sporting: Ford sends its three regular drivers - Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin - to this event, and all are nominated for manufacturers' points. In an unusual switch, Martin's car will run in all-blue 'RS' livery. Like most teams, Ford has tested heavily for what is widely regarded as the roughest rally in Europe - its mileage included five days' hot-weather work in Spain, where it was able to work hard on tyre development. McRae received an official reprimand from the event stewards today, after he was adjudged to have driven along part of a stage in the wrong direction during the pre-event reconnaissance.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "I enjoy this event because it's different in mechanical terms. If you look back at our speed in Cyprus then we should be competitive - we've made a few small improvements to the car since Argentina but I don't think they'll make such a big difference. This event and the next round [the Safari Rally in Kenya] are crucial to our hopes for the year.
Colin McRae said: "Luck was on our side a bit in Argentina with the top two Peugeots getting excluded, but we have to come away from this one and the Safari with at least one victory. Hopefully we can get that here but nothing's straightforward.
SUBARU (3rd - 33 points)
Technical: Subaru has elected to 'play safe' with the Impreza WRC2002's specification for this event. Although a number of technical developments were nearly ready in time, the Prodrive-run team decided to hold off introducing them until Rally Finland. The Imprezas will again be fitted with ducting near the headlamps - as seen in Cyprus - and this will be the main form of cooling for the crew inside the car, since the roof-mounted air scoop can be blocked off to prevent dust from entering the cabin. Subaru sends three Imprezas to the event - the first time this season that it has run more than two cars - and Petter Solberg's example is brand new.
Sporting: For the first time this season, Subaru has entered three Imprezas - regular drivers Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg are joined by Japanese driver Toshihiro Arai in the line-up. All three drivers are nominated for manufacturers' points. Mäkinen will again be navigated by Kaj Lindstrom as Risto Mannisenmaki continues to wait on a definitive verdict from his medical advisors on his recovery after the pair's Corsica accident last year.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "I think if we get everything right here and don't have any big problems then I think we can fight for the win. I like all the rallies but on this one, I don't seem to have so many problems. Last year we lost a little time with the gearbox but still finished second, so we are quite optimistic that we can stop Peugeot. I think the stages on the rally are much smoother this year - I don't think it'll be as much of a car breaker as it has been before.
Tommi Mäkinen said: "My neck is still a little bit stiff after our accident in Argentina but it won't be a big problem for me. I'm just glad that we had three weeks between rallies, because that allowed me a bit more time to recover. I've got a good feeling with the car coming into this rally but I've never won here, so I just want to have a clear run without problems and see where I end up. We're quite confident.
MITSUBISHI (4th - 6 points)
Technical: Mitsubishi Ralliart has made small adjustments to the Lancer Evo WRC's rear suspension and ride height, since this event is the first one on which the car will have to run with two spare wheels. That aside, the car features only minor adjustments from the specification that ran in Argentina - Ralliart made changes to the differential mapping during its test for here. The car proved reliable during that pre-event run, though - almost 1000 kilometres were completed over four days.
Sporting: Mitsubishi enters its two regular drivers - François Delecour and Alister McRae - for this event. Behind the scenes, Ralliart is continuing to build up mileage on the development 'Step Two' Lancer World Rally Car - it recently completed an asphalt test in France and was scheduled to run in Finland this week.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "The car feels very similar to Argentina and it certainly wasn't bad there, but all we need is a really clean run without any major problems. That would at least allow us to gauge where we are in relation to everyone else. You can never take reliability for granted, especially on the Acropolis, but the test went fine so we have to be optimistic.
SKODA (5th - 5 points)
Technical: Skoda has fitted some new-specification rear shock absorbers to the Octavia WRCs for this event but that aside, the cars are largely unchanged from their Argentina specification. The Czech team has made adjustments to the exhaust, however - more heat cladding has been fitted in an attempt to keep the temperature inside the cockpit as low as possible for the crews.
Sporting: Skoda enters three Octavia WRCs for this event - regulars Toni Gardemeister and Kenneth Eriksson are joined by 1984 world champion Stig Blomqvist. Argentine driver Gabriel Pozzo will use a fourth car, run by British privateer team David Sutton Cars.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "We did about a day and a half's testing for this event and I have to say that I think the car we've got here is the best Octavia I've seen yet on gravel. But of course, this is the Acropolis and it's so rough sometimes that anything can happen. The most you can hope for is reliability, because if you have that then you can get a good result. I'm quite optimistic because we had no real problems during the test.
HYUNDAI (6th - 2 points)
Technical: Hyundai's engineering team describes the Acropolis specification Accent WRC3 as a 'small step forward' from the car which ran in Argentina. The team has played with differential settings during testing, and the car will also use a different specification of damper on the Greek roads.
Sporting: Hyundai sends three Accent WRC3s to Greece, to be driven by Armin Schwarz, Freddy Loix and Juha Kankkunen. All three drivers are nominated for manufacturers' points.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "I already had a good feeling with the car from Argentina but in our testing, we've found a little more traction by changing some of the differential settings. There a bit more freedom in the set-up there now and that's a big help. The stages here this year are the smoothest that I've ever seen them in Greece.
Armin Schwarz said: "I think this will still be a hard event, even though a lot of people are saying the roads are smoother than before. On the second run through, we could have ruts, big rocks or the bedrock of the road itself and we'll have to take care with tyre choice to make sure we don't get punctures or lose too much grip.
CITROEN (not scoring for the championship)
Technical: Citroen brings the same Xsara WRCs that contested this event last year as it tackles its first gravel rally in 12 months. But the cars' specification has changed - they have both been uprated to 'second evolution' versions and both feature the semi-automatic gearbox. The team has also worked hard on differential settings, springs and dampers over a long test and development process.
Sporting: Citroen enters two Xsara WRCs for this event, its first gravel outing in 12 months and the first of three planned loose-surface entries this season. The cars will be driven by Swede Thomas Radstrom and young Frenchman Sebastien Loeb.
Quotes: Thomas Radstrom said: "We have to be hopeful of a good result here. The car had good performance in Greece last year and we've certainly moved it on since then. What we don't know, of course, is how much quicker everyone else is. But if we have a clean run - and that's the crucial thing - then I think we can be fighting for the podium positions.
OTHER ENTRIES
The Acropolis is the third round of this year's FIA Junior World Rally Championship, and all of the leading protagonists in the 1600cc based series will be present. François Duval and Daniel Sola are likely to pick up their title battle where they left it in Catalunya, but Italians Nicola Caldani and Andrea Dallavilla are among a dozen rivals who will be aiming for their first victories of the season. There will be no action for Austrian driver David Doppelreiter, however - the young Austrian has had to withdraw his entry after he injured himself in a mountain biking accident.
Several private World Rally Car crews have entered, meanwhile, and they will be hoping to capitalise if any of the manufacturer entries hit trouble. Former Skoda and Subaru works driver Bruno Thiry will use a Peugeot 206 WRC, Pole Tomasz Kuchar has entered a Toyota Corolla WRC, and German Armin Kremer and local man Ioannis Papadimitriou will both drive Focus WRCs.
STAGE ITINERARY GMT +3
Leg 1, Friday 14th June (427.53km)
08:00 Start from Parnassos
08:00 Service (Parnassos) 20 min.
09:07 SS 1 Pavliani 1 24.45km
10:40 SS 2 Karoutes 1 18.89km
11:45 Service (Parnassos) 20 min.
12:36 SS 3 Paleohori 20.52km
13:29 SS 4 Rengini 25.04km
14:39 Regroup (Parnassos) 15 min.
14:54 Service (Parnassos) 20 min
15:52 SS 5 Inohori 1 23.00km
16:40 SS 6 Pavliani 2 24.45km
18:00 Service (Parnassos) 45 min.
18:47 End of leg 1 in Parnassos
Leg 2, Saturday 15th June (429.27km)
07:15 Start from Parnassos
07:15 Service (Parnassos) 20 min.
08:35 SS 7 Bauxites 1 23.45km
09:58 SS 8 Drosohori 1 28.68km
10:43 Service (Parnassos) 20 min.
11:56 SS 9 Elatia 1 37.16km
13:09 SS 10 Mendenitsa 1 17.34km
13:59 Regroup (Parnassos) 15 min
14:14 Service (Parnassos) 20 min.
15:34 SS 11 Bauxites 2 23.45km
16:57 SS 12 Drosohori 2 28.68km
17:42 Service (Parnassos) 45 min.
18:29 End of leg 2 in Parnassos
Leg 3, Sunday 16th June (341.05 km)
08:00 Start from Parnassos
08:00 Service (Parnassos) 20 min.
08:58 SS 13 Inohori 2 23.00km
10:16 SS 14 Karoutes 2 18.89km
11:21 Regroup (Parnassos) 15 min.
11:36 Service (Parnassos) 20 min
12:49 SS 15 Elatia 2 37.16km
14:02 SS 16 Mendenitsa 2 17.34km
14:52 Service (Parnassos) 20 min
16:04 Finish of the rally in Itea
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