2002 FIA World Rally Championship
50th Inmarsat Safari Rally
http://www.safarirally.com/
Round 8 of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship
12-14th July 2002
Extract from Official FIA Press Release
http://www.fia.com
[WRC] Safari Rally: Final
Sunday, 14th July 2002
UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS
OUTRIGHT
1 C.McRae Ford Focus RS WRC 7:58:28,0
2 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 8:01:18,9
3 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC 8:17:06,6
4 Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 8:19:56,0
5 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 8:20:16,1
6 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 8:33:09,0
7 Kresta Skoda Octavia WRC 8:53:06,1
8 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC 9:09:59,5
9 A.McRae Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 9:15:41,2
10 Singh Proton Pert 10:27:55,2
GROUP N
1 Singh Proton Pert 10:27:55,2
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers:
Grönholm (FIN) 37
McRae (GB) 30
Sainz (E) 23
Panizzi (F) 21
Burns (GB) 19
Rovanperä (FIN) 18
Solberg (N) 15
Mäkinen (FIN) 14
Loeb (F) 8
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:
Peugeot 83
Ford 69
Subaru 35
Skoda 8
Mitsubishi 7
Hyundai 6
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 Production Car World Championship (after 5 of 8 rounds):
Singh (MAL) 24
Ferreyros (PE) 20
Arai (J) 12
Trelles (ROU) 12
Sohlberg (FIN) 10
COMPETITIVE STAGE (CS) WINNERS
CS10 - C.McRae, CS11 - Panizzi, CS12 - Loeb
LEADING RETIREMENTS
CS8 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC Mechanical
CS8 Sainz Ford Focus RS WRC Oil Pump
CS8 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC Mechanical
CS7 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC Gearbox
CS4 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC Mechanical
CS4 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC Suspension
CS3 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Overheating
CS1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC Engine failure
CS1 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
CS1 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC Clutch
Ford driver Colin McRae has secured his second win in succession in this year's FIA World Rally Championship on the eighth round of the series, the Safari Rally, which finished in Nairobi this afternoon. The Scot and navigator Nicky Grist brought their Focus WRC to the finish almost three minutes ahead of Peugeot's Harri Rovanperä after more than 1000 kilometres of competitive driving on rocky, rough roads across the Kenyan plains.
McRae's victory was backed up by a fourth-placed finish for his young team-mate Markko Martin. With the third-placed Citroen of Thomas Rådström not registered for manufacturers' points, Ford narrowed Peugeot's lead at the top of that series to 14 points. McRae himself moved up to second place in the drivers' championship, seven points behind leader Marcus Grönholm. The 1995 world champion also set a new record - this was his 25th victory, taking him above Carlos Sainz and Tommi Mäkinen on the greatest number of world rally wins.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02 of Colin McRae has been reliable today. Markko Martin's car lost its rear brakes for 80km of the opening competitive section this morning.
Sporting: Overnight leader Colin McRae expected second-placed Harri Rovanperä to charge this morning but the threat failed to materialise as the Finn was held up by slow-clearing dust in the opening, long competitive section. McRae then eased off in the closing sections, using split times to measure his pace and keep his Peugeot-mounted rival at bay and secure a record-breaking 25th world rally win. Markko Martin, meanwhile, lost some time this morning when his rear brakes failed on this morning's opening section. The Estonian was struggling in the test anyway, because navigator Michael Park had taken the wrong pacenotes into the car for the test. Martin completed the 106km driving only on what he could remember from the previous run through. He had no problems thereafter, though, and he finished in fourth overall to score third-placed manufacturers' points for Ford.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "It's good to get another victory and it's nice to have the record, but championships are what it's all about and this has helped us to close the gap on Marcus Grönholm. I always felt quite comfortable with my pace here and that's the key to winning the Safari. Even if Harri had charged this morning, I was prepared to stay at the same speed, because I thought he'd have a problem if he pushed any harder. I'm really pleased for the whole team, because everyone's worked really hard to maintain reliability here.
Markko Martin: "I'm pleased to get to the finish and get the experience that I wanted here. It's been a tough event, and it certainly wasn't easy driving this morning's opening section without pacenotes, but I've learnt a lot about how you have to pace yourself here. The car's been great, with hardly any problems at all, so it's good to score points for the team.
Ford World Rally Team Director Malcolm Wilson said: "This has to be the most mature, controlled drive of Colin's career. He made it look quite easy, in fact. He found a good pace from the start and didn't get drawn into a battle or taking any more risks. I'm delighted for him and Nicky, and also for Markko and Michael (Park), who put in an excellent performance.
PEUGEOT
Technical: Harri Rovanperä's 206 WRC has been reliable today. Gilles Panizzi, meanwhile, suffered with dust in the car on this morning's opening section after he hit a bird and damaged his roof air scoop. Panizzi's navigator, brother Hervé, had to undo his belts on two occasions to wipe the inside of the windscreen clean of dust.
Sporting: Harri Rovanperä might have considered pushing harder this morning to close the gap on overnight leader Colin McRae, but that chance disappeared because the early-morning dust failed to clear quickly enough to guarantee him visibility in the opening section. Instead, Rovanperä settled for second overall, his best finish of the season to date. Gilles Panizzi lost time this morning when he hit a bird and damaged his roof-mounted air scoop, allowing dust to enter the car. But he recovered to set fastest time on the penultimate section of the rally and finish sixth overall.
Quotes: Harri Rovanperä said: "I'm really glad to get to the finish and with not many problems at all. Today we knew we only had a small chance to catch Colin but on the first section, we had a lot of dust and that was really the end of the fight. At least we have finished on the podium and scored some points for the team. We can look forward to Finland next month. I also think that Peugeot has showed we have a strong car.
Gilles Panizzi said: "This has been an incredible rally for me. I came here hoping to get experience of Africa and in the end, I've set my first fastest times on gravel and also finished in the points. This morning was very hard and I could see absolutely nothing in the dust. It was almost impossible.
Peugeot Sport Team Director Corrado Provera said: "We're very proud of the way that Harri and Gilles have driven, and also how hard everyone has worked to make the car stronger since we were here last year. The worst part of the season is now over for us, and we can look forward to rallies that favour us more.
CITROEN
Technical: The Xsara WRCs of Thomas Rådström has been reliable today, but Sebastien Loeb's car suffered from overheating rear shock absorbers in the last two competitive sections.
Sporting: Thomas Rådström started today's three competitive sections determined to reach the finish and score a podium placing on his first Safari (he failed to start through injury in 1999). The Swede achieved his goal, watching shock absorber temperatures to maintain performance. He eventually finished third. Sebastien Loeb started today in fourth, but his shock absorber sensor failed in the penultimate test and the rear shocks on his Xsara overheated. The resulting time loss dropped the young Frenchman behind Markko Martin into fifth, and although he tried to recover, a repeat of the problem near the end of the final section prevented him from mounting overhauling the Estonian.
Quotes: Thomas Rådström said: "We have to be quite pleased to get both our cars to the finish and that both Seb and I have scored points here. The car never felt quite the same as it did in the test, and we know that we still have to work hard on the suspension set-up, but we've learnt a lot from here and that was our aim.
SKODA
Technical: The sole remaining Octavia WRC of Roman Kresta broke a left front wheel bearing just five kilometres into this morning's 106km opening section, and it broke a rear damper in the following test. It reached the finish without any further glitches, however.
Sporting: Roman Kresta shouldered all of Skoda's hopes today, as the young Czech tried to score manufacturers' points for the team on his first Safari Rally. Despite the occasional mechanical problem, including a broken wheel bearing and a rear damper failure, Kresta achieved his goal by finishing fifth to score three points for Skoda.
Quotes: Roman Kresta said: "I'm really glad to have finished in the points for the team. I wanted to learn about this event but we've been steady and reliable, and so many other people have had problems that we've ended up with a good result and points for the team. I'm really pleased.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Juha Kankkunen had to draw on all of his experience to bring Hyundai's sole remaining Accent to the finish. The car's engine was very sick all day, as it suffered the effects of the intercooler damage that had slowed Kankkunen yesterday evening. On the opening section, the Finn had to stop twice to put nearly eight litres of oil into the motor. His problems worsened in the penultimate test, when he suffered a left-rear damper problem that resulted in severe suspension damage and a hole ripped in the inner wheel arch. Hyundai mechanics worked hard to restore the Finn's car's suspension in time for him to continue, and his car struggled through the final test with its ailing engine to reach the finish.
Sporting: The Hyundai team was determined to reach the finish on its first Safari, but it needed Juha Kankkunen's guile and experience to achieve that goal. The four-times world champion nursed the car's sick engine all day, stopping on more than one occasion to top up its oil level in competitive sections. He then had to complete over 40km with a broken damper and badly damaged rear suspension. Although he incurred road penalties as the Hyundai team made repairs, Kankkunen's car was healthy enough for him to fend off Alister McRae's Mitsubishi in the last competitive section and score two manufacturers' points for the Korean marque.
Quotes: Juha Kankkunen said: "The team really wanted to learn about Safari and I think they know about it now! We had many problems but we had a steady pace and that was enough to get us to the finish. I'm pleased for the guys, because they worked hard to keep us in the event.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: The remaining Lancer Evo WRC of Alister McRae was reliable for much of today, although he incurred 30secs of road penalties after the Ralliart team took longer than permitted to change the car's water spray during this morning's first service. The Scot also lost time in the second competitive section of the day, when a rear damper broke 30km before the end of the test.
Sporting: Alister McRae and Mitsubishi started today hoping that rivals would hit trouble or retire, because their deficit was too large to make up by speed alone. In the end, the Scot stayed in ninth on his first Safari attempt, although he would probably have inched past the ailing Hyundai of Juha Kankkunen, had he not suffered rear damper problems in the penultimate competitive section.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "I wanted experience here and I've certainly learnt a lot about how you have to tackle this event. We tried to find a comfortable speed and it's really unfortunate that we had a big suspension problem on the first afternoon, because I'm sure we could have been in the points otherwise. But that's the Safari - it's a real challenge and I'm pleased that we managed to finish.
OTHER ENTRIES
There was plenty of late drama in the Group N category for more standard vehicles. Marcos Ligato and Toshihiro Arai, who'd been locked in battle for the class win throughout the event, both retired in the closing kilometres. Arai's Subaru retired with clutch failure on the penultimate competitive section, and Ligato's Mitsubishi succumbed to suspension problems on the following test. Their problems handed the category spoils - and a maximum score in the FIA Production Car World Championship - to Karamjit Singh's Proton. The Malaysian driver now leads the series with three rounds remaining.
Saturday, 13th July 2002
[WRC] Safari Rally: End of Leg 2
OUTRIGHT
1 C.McRae Ford Focus RS WRC 5:39:02,3
2 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 5:41:29,0
3 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC 5:52:20,5
4 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 5:55:53,2
5 Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 5:59:53,3
6 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 6:13:45,6
7 Kresta Skoda Octavia WRC 6:17:09,5
8 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC 6:17:28,2
9 A.McRae Mitsubishi Lancer WRC 6:42:31,5
10 Ligato Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 7:27:33,8
GROUP N
1 Ligato Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 7:27:33,8
2 Arai Subaru Impreza WRX 7:30:05,5
3 Singh Proton Pert 7:36:08,4
COMPETITIVE STAGE (CS) WINNERS
CS5 - Loeb, CS6 - cancelled, CS7 - Burns, CS8 - Panizzi, CS9 - Loeb
LEADING RETIREMENTS
CS8 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC Mechanical
CS8 Sainz Ford Focus RS WRC Oil Pump
CS8 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC Mechanical
CS7 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC Gearbox
CS4 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC Mechanical
CS4 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC Suspension
CS3 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Overheating
CS1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC Engine failure
CS1 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
CS1 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC Clutch
Ford driver Colin McRae has taken over the lead of the eighth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Safari Rally, which continued in Kenya today. The Scot and navigator Nicky Grist grabbed the top spot from Tommi Mäkinen when the Finn hit problems in this morning's opening stage, and they have consolidated their advantage throughout the day's competitive sections.
Mäkinen was one of many leading drivers to hit trouble on the demanding African event. McRae's Ford team-mate Carlos Sainz retired with engine problems, Mäkinen himself succumbed to suspension damage and reigning world champion Richard Burns was forced out within sight of his own service trucks when he got his damaged Peugeot stuck in the entry to the Suswa service area.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae and Markko Martin have been generally reliable today, although Martin complained of excessive oversteer in the day's opening section. Carlos Sainz had to stop and change a puncture in CS7, and then the Spaniard's engine lost oil pressure in the following section and he was forced to retire on the spot. Martin did lose time in road penalties this evening, though, when there were complications during a precautionary oil pump belt change.
Sporting: Colin McRae was held up by Tommi Mäkinen's dust for around 20km of the day's opening competitive section, but the Scot still set a fast time to move into the lead and he built up that advantage throughout the rest of the day to arrive back in Nairobi this evening with a cushion of nearly two and a half minutes. Carlos Sainz lost time when he had to stop and change a puncture in CS7, but the Spaniard benefited from Mäkinen's problems as he moved into a battle with Harri Rovanperä for second overall. His hopes were dashed, however, by a terminal loss of oil pressure in his engine halfway through CS8. Markko Martin has again concentrated on building up experience of the Kenyan stages, but the Estonian's steady pace has kept him inside the top six. The retirements of Mäkinen and Sainz helped him into third, although road penalties incurred because of complications during an oil pump belt change dropped him to fifth overnight.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "We're running at what I'd call a comfortable pace, not taking any big risks. But it's far from over yet - Harri's going well too, so there's still pressure. We're not going to try to retaliate to his pace - this speed has worked well so far so we'll just keep it tomorrow. I think if Harri keeps pushing he might easily have problems.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Harri Rovanperä and Gilles Panizzi have been reliable today, but Richard Burns broke a crossmember near the end of CS8. Although he reached service with the left-front wheel tucked up into the arch, the reigning world champion then got stuck in the deep sand at the entrance to the service area and he was forced to retire.
Sporting: Both Harri Rovanperä and Richard Burns upped their pace today. Rovanperä benefited from the problems that hit Kenneth Eriksson and Tommi Mäkinen, as he charged further into the top three. The Finn soon became embroiled in a battle with Carlos Sainz for second overall - the Spaniard's retirement handed that place to Rovanperä, and he'd also closed the gap to leader Colin McRae to just under two and a half minutes by the end of the day. Burns, meanwhile, admitted to taking risks as he set fastest time (his first of the event) in CS7. But in the very next section, he broke a bolt on the crossmember and even though he struggled to service with a damaged left-front wheel, he got stuck in deep sand at the gateway to the service park. Despite the best efforts of Burns and navigator Robert Reid, the 206 WRC was firmly embedded in the soil and they eventually went beyond their maximum lateness. The second remaining 206 WRC of Gilles Panizzi has maintained a steady pace today and the Frenchman holds sixth overnight.
Quotes: Harri Rovanperä said: "It's been a hard day. I've been pushing a bit harder but we can't really take too many risks tomorrow. I think the aim has to be to get back to the finish.
Richard Burns said: "That's easily the most disappointing retirement that I've ever had from a rally. We managed 50km of road section with the problem, and to retire in the service park is a complete insult. I don't know what else to say.
CITROEN
Technical: Thomas Radstrom picked up 10 seconds of road penalties this morning when his Citroen team elected to change his gearbox after he hit clutch trouble on the road sections to and from Nairobi. That change meant that the Swede wasn't able to pick his preferred suspension, so he had to cope with too harsh a ride for his liking during the opening section. His Xsara performed reliably thereafter. Sebastien Loeb's car, meanwhile, has been reliable today.
Sporting: Both Citroen drivers have been much happier today, after the team changed the specification of its shock absorbers back to the version it had used yesterday morning. Thomas Radstrom's improved pace allowed the Swede to move back towards the top six, and the various retirements lifted him to fourth by the end of the day. A number of fastest times, meanwhile, moved Loeb into fifth by the time he returned to Nairobi this evening.
Quotes: Thomas Radstrom said: "I'm much happier now that I've got the type of suspension that like. It was bad this morning because we realised that the team would have to change the gearbox and that meant there wouldn't be time to really get the right suspension on the car, so we had to do one more section with far too hard a ride It's very difficult to drive when it's like that, but I know that when we have the right set-up we can be on a good pace.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson was forced to retire his Octavia WRC this morning, when he damaged a driveshaft in the day's third competitive section. Although he reached service, his car's transmission was very sick and the veteran Swede was unable to get his Octavia up the stone rampway leading into the service park, so he retired. The remaining Octavia of Roman Kresta has been generally reliable, although he did pick up road penalties when his team changed a gearbox in service this afternoon and ran over its time limit.
Sporting: Kenneth Eriksson's hopes of scoring points for Skoda looked set to be fulfilled this morning, as the Swede maintained his strong run in a top six place. But in CS7, he broke a driveshaft and although he reached the following service, his car's transmission was very sick and Eriksson was unable to drive up the stone rampway into the service park. He retired on the spot, almost within sight of his service crew's trucks. Roman Kresta, meanwhile, lost some time with gearbox problems but the young Czech driver's steady pace allowed him to benefit from the numerous retirements. He holds seventh overnight.
Quotes: Roman Kresta said: "I'm just trying to gain experience here but it seems so many other people are having problems that we now have a chance of points. I'm not getting excited, though - we've seen how tough this rally is and that you cannot think about the finish yet.
HYUNDAI
Technical: The sole remaining Accent WRC3 has been generally reliable today, although Juha Kankkunen's car did suffer two broken shock absorbers (both at the rear) during CS7. The team also elected to change the front differential at this morning's first service, after concerns about traces of metal found in oils taken from the unit yesterday. The Hyundai mechanics worked hard to get the four-times world champion back out of service within the allotted 20 minutes. The team changed the car's turbo at this evening's final service, after it had completed the final competitive section with an intercooler that was blocked with mud.
Sporting: Juha Kankkunen entered today's action knowing that his Hyundai team was desperate to gain further kilometres and experience of the Safari conditions. The veteran Finn duly obliged, adopting a steady pace that allowed for data gathering without risking terminal damage to the car. He suffered a late scare when he filled his car's intercooler with mud in the last section of the day, but the four times world champion still arrived back in Nairobi in eighth.
Quotes: Juha Kankkunen said: "I'm quite pleased that we're still going and still learning for the team. The aim here is to get kilometres so the team has plenty of data and learns about the Safari conditions. Our car isn't full Safari specification and we've had the odd problem, like the two broken rear shock absorbers in one section, but we're still going.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: The Lancer Evo WRC of Alister McRae has been basically reliable today, although he broke a rear damper top mounting in the day's penultimate competitive section.
Sporting: Alister McRae is now hoping to maintain a steady pace and pick up places as others hit trouble and his policy paid off as he benefited from the retirements of Frederic Dor and Kenneth Eriksson to move towards the top 10. The later problems that claimed Mäkinen, Burns and Sainz moved the 1995 British champion into ninth by the end of the day.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "We've had no really major problems today and I've just been trying to find a reasonable speed that keeps us in touch and allows us reliability to take advantage when other guys have problems. We've made up a few places, although we'd have liked the second section to have run because we went well in there yesterday and more guys in front could have had dropped out. But we're still going and as we've seen so far, reliability's crucial here.
SUBARU
Technical: Tommi Mäkinen lost time on this morning's opening section with suspension problems. The Finn felt that the rear of the car was behaving strangely even as he left service, and both rear dampers began to leak oil on the road to the competitive section. He had to slow accordingly. He suffered a puncture and had to stop to change a wheel in CS7, and then he broke a wishbone after 30km of CS8 and was forced to retire on the spot.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen lost his overnight lead in this morning's opening competitive section after his Impreza suffered from rear damper failures. The Subaru team is still investigating the cause of the problem, which started as the car left the first service after the run-out from Nairobi. The Finn dropped out of the top three as a result and also incurred the wrath of Colin McRae, who felt that the Subaru driver had been too slow in moving over to allow him past in CS5. Mäkinen then lost more time in CS7 when he had to stop to change a puncture, incurred as he caught Carlos Sainz in the section. His miserable day ended when he retired with a broken wishbone in CS8,
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "We must have hit something quite hard because very suddenly, the wishbone just broke completely. There was no way we could continue with damage like that and so much of the section still to go, so we had to retire. I'm disappointed, of course, particularly since I thought we could get back towards the points, even after our problems this morning.
OTHER ENTRIES
Marcos Ligato continues to lead the Group N category for more standard machinery, ahead of Japanese driver Toshihiro Arai. The event claimed leading privateer Frederic Dor this morning, however; the French shipping magnate retired with a broken wishbone.
[WRC] Safari Rally: End of Leg 1
OUTRIGHT
1 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 2:52:17,4
2 C.McRae Ford Focus RS WRC 2:52:33,5
3 Sainz Ford Focus RS WRC 2:55:12,2
4 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 2:55:54,5
5 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC 2:58:09,8
6 Martin Ford Focus RS WRC 2:58:51,6
7 Radstrom Citroen Xsara WRC 3:03:18,2
8 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 3:08:00,5
9 Loeb Citroen Xsara WRC 3:10:51,2
10 Kresta Skoda Octavia WRC 3:14:23,4
GROUP N
1 Ligato Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 6 3:52:14,4
2 Arai Subaru Impreza WRX 3:54:38,7
3 Singh Proton Pert 3:55:43,5
4 Marrini Mitsubshi Lancer Evo IV 4:25:04,9
COMPETITIVE STAGE (CS) WINNERS
CS1 - Makinen, CS2 - C.McRae, CS3 - Makinen, CS4 - C.McRae
LEADING RETIREMENTS
CS4 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC Mechanical
CS4 Gardemeister Skoda Octavia WRC Suspension
CS3 Delecour Mitsubishi Lancer WRC Overheating
CS1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC Engine failure
CS1 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
CS1 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC Clutch
Friday, 12th July 2002
Four-times FIA World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen has claimed an early advantage on the eighth round of this year's series, the Safari Rally, which started in Kenya today. The Finn and his navigator Kaj Lindstrom set fastest times on two of today's four competitive sections to arrive back at the overnight halt in Nairobi 16 seconds ahead of Ford driver Colin McRae. That gap had been much larger, but the Scot fought back with a fastest time in the day's last stage to set up a close battle in the two days ahead.
After a ceremonial start in Nairobi yesterday, during which the cars were flagged away by HRH Prince Edward, today's opening leg comprised four competitive sections in the Suswa region. As predicted, the notoriously rough and long Safari sections took their toll on the world's top rally drivers. Current championship leader Marcus Grönholm was the first main retirement after just 17 kilometres of the day's first test, while Armin Schwarz, Freddy Loix, Petter Solberg and Francois Delecour were among the other top names to join the retirements list.
SUBARU
Technical: Tommi Mäkinen's Impreza WRC2002 has been reliable today. His team-mate Petter Solberg lost time in the day's opening competitive section, when his clutch started slipping less than two kilometres after the start and he had to stop to effect repairs. The young Norwegian's day worsened further still when he had to stop to fix turbo and engine problems in the third competitive section. The engine subsequently expired in the day's last section.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen quickly got up to speed this morning by setting a very fast time on the day's opening competitive section. The Finn insisted that he was taking no risks, even though his time was more than two minutes quicker than some of his rivals who'd also reported no problems. The four-times world champion then increased his advantage in the day's third section, but then adopted too cautious an approach in CS4 and watched his overnight lead shrink to just 16 seconds. Mäkinen's team-mate Petter Solberg endured a difficult day, meanwhile. He had to stop to effect repairs on a slipping clutch in CS1, and then had to cope with the dust of two cars as he recovered. The Norwegian then lost more time with engine problems in CS3, then retired when the motor expired completely in the following test.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "It's been a good day and we've had no problems at all with the car, but we lost a lot of time for no good reason in the last stage. We just didn't get information from our helicopter crew about what time Colin (McRae) was doing, so we kept the same speed and gave him back a lot of time. We'll have to push again tomorrow.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin have been generally reliable today, although both Sainz and Martin had to stop for punctures (in CS3 and CS2 respectively). All three cars also suffered broken dampers in CS3.
Sporting: Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin all started cautiously this morning, but McRae in particular raised his pace during the day as he kept leader Tommi Mäkinen within reach. The Scot, twice a winner in Kenya, set a very fast time in the day's last section to close to within 16 seconds of the top spot overnight. Sainz felt he was too careful in CS2 and he lost some time as a result, and then the Spaniard had to stop and change a puncture in the very next section. He still holds third overnight, however. Martin felt a tyre fly off the rim in CS2 and the Estonian lost time as he stopped to change the wheel. He occupies sixth after his first full day of Safari competition.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "We've obviously found quite a good speed and the car's been pretty reliable, so we have to be reasonably happy. The time in the last stage surprised me, because I thought it was just a good clean run.
PEUGEOT
Technical: Marcus Grönholm became the first major retirement on the Safari Rally on this morning's opening competitive section. The Finn was barely 17 kilometres into the stage when his engine stopped suddenly and despite the best efforts of the world championship leader and his navigator Timo Rautiainen, they were unable to restart the car. The 206 WRCs of Harri Rovanperä and Richard Burns were more reliable, although both suffered broken right-front shock absorbers in CS3. Burns's breakage was the more spectacular, since it spat out fluid and kick-started a small fire that the world champion had to stop to extinguish. Gilles Panizzi lost more than 20 minutes on today's first section, when his car suffered rear suspension damage.
Sporting: Both Harri Rovanperä and Richard Burns have adopted cautious strategies on today's opening leg. Rovanperä was the quicker of the pair throughout, keeping his 206 in the top six for much of the day. He ended the leg in fourth. Burns has been feeling unwell today and he also felt his pacenotes might be too cautious. The world champion lost time when a shock absorber exploded near the end of CS3 and he had to stop to put out a small fire as a result. He still ended the day in eighth, however. Marcus Grönholm, meanwhile, became the first major retirement on the event after his engine expired 17km into the day's opening section. The fourth 206 of Gilles Panizzi broke an anti-roll bar in today's opening section and the Frenchman lost 20 minutes when he stopped to change the offending part.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "The engine problem was like flicking a mains switch - the revs just died and that was it. We tried everything - changing the ECU, changing plugs - but nothing seemed to work.
Harri Rovanperä said: "Maybe we'll have to push a little harder tomorrow, because the guys in front are pulling away quite a lot. But I'll make a decision after I've seen how the stage conditions are when we go over them in reverse direction.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson's Octavia lost the tread block off its left-rear tyre on this morning's opening section, then the Swede felt that the front of the car went very soft in CS3. Toni Gardemeister complained of the opposite for much of today - the young Finn even suffered chest pains because the suspension in his car was too hard for the rocky surfaces. He suffered rear shock absorber and driveshaft problems in CS3, then retired with left-rear suspension failure in CS4 Roman Kresta's Octavia has been generally reliable, although the Czech driver did complain of softening shock absorbers as well.
Sporting: The Octavia WRCs of Toni Gardemeister and Kenneth Eriksson made strong starts to the event, and both were running in the top six after two stages (Eriksson held an early third overall). They both hit suspension and driveshaft problems in the afternoon, but Eriksson still holds fifth overnight. His younger team-mate retired from a top 10 placing with rear suspension failure in the day's final section. The third Octavia of Roman Kresta lies outside of the top 10 after a generally troublefree day in which the Czech driver tried to gain experience of the Kenyan roads.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: "We started well but it's worrying that we're starting to get suspension and driveshaft problems because the roads aren't going to get any smoother. All we can do is keep a good pace and see what happens.
CITROEN
Technical: Sebastien Loeb lost time in today's opening section when he bent a front wishbone in his Xsara and had to drive 35km with an ill handling car. Then his team-mate Thomas Radstrom broke his Xsara's steering in CS2 and had to compete more than 40km with no left-front wheel and navigator Denis Giraudet perched in the car's boot to act as counterbalance. Both Xsaras then hit rear shock absorber problems in CS3 and Loeb then suffered two rear punctures in CS4.
Sporting: Sebastien Loeb bent a front wishbone in his Xsara and had to drive for 35km with poor handling in the day's first competitive section. He also pulled over to let Markko Martin and Petter Solberg past, losing a further minute and a half while he waited. But the young Frenchman holds a top-10 placing overnight. Team-mate Thomas Radstrom lost most of his time when he had to complete more than 40km on three wheels after steering failure. He dropped out of the top 10 as a result but, thank to other drivers' problems, finished the day in seventh.
Quotes: Thomas Radstrom said: "Our shock absorbers have been too stiff for a lot of today's stages and we have to soften them for tomorrow.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: The Lancer Evo WRCs of Alister McRae and Francois Delecour started today's opening leg reliably, but then both hit rear damper problems in the second competitive section. The Frenchman then retired on the road section shortly after CS3, when his car's engine expired. McRae suffered from a small brake pressure problem in the same stage, then broke a track control arm in the day's last test.
Sporting: Francois Delecour lost time behind Juha Kankkunen's crippled Hyundai on the day's opening section - the Frenchman had to complete 30km behind the four-times world champion before he could inch past, and he felt he lost around two minutes in the process. He then ceded more time to his rivals with rear damper problems in CS2 and after the following test, his car's engine stopped on the road section and refused to re-start. Alister McRae started steadily this morning, then lost time in CS2 with a broken rear damper (a different problem to Delecour's). He recovered to set third fastest time in CS3 but he lost a large amount of time in the day's last stage when he had to stop to change a track control arm.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "It's quite disappointing to lose so much time so early in the event but then, we're already seeing that most people are having problems so if you can just get through, you stand a chance. The biggest frustration is that when we've had a clean run, the car's felt quite strong.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Hyundai has suffered a tough opening day on the first Safari for the Accent WRC3. Freddy Loix's car retired halfway through the day's opening section with a burnt-out clutch. Armin Schwarz suffered turbo problems on the same test and although he reached service, his car's engine stopped and refused to restart on the road to the following section. Juha Kankkunen lost time with a broken right-front shock absorber in this morning's opening section and a similar problem in CS3, but it generally performed reliably otherwise.
Sporting: Hyundai lost two of its cars before the day's second competitive section this morning. Freddy Loix's car hit clutch problems halfway through CS1 and although the Belgian stopped to allow the unit to cool, too much damage had been done and the car could proceed no further. Armin Schwarz lost turbo boost in that same test and although the German reached the following service area, his car's engine stopped on the way to CS2 and it refused to restart. The Hyundai team attributed the problem to a broken alternator. Juha Kankkunen, meanwhile, lost time in today's opening section when he had to complete 60km of section and 20km of road section with a broken right-front shock absorber. His team had to effect major repairs at the following service, and he was five minutes late at the time control as a result. He ended the day outside the top 10.
Quotes: Juha Kankkunen said: "This has been a typical difficult Safari day, really. We knew coming here that it would be tough because we didn't have a lot of testing and it's been as we expected.
OTHER ENTRIES
The Kenyan roads have created havoc in the Group N category for more standard machinery. Marcos Ligato suffered a misfire and stopped three times in CS3 with electrical problems, but he still entered the day's last section nearly a minute clear of Toshihiro Arai. The Japanese driver's progress had been hampered by persistent shock absorber problems. Italain Alex Fiorio retired on the last CS.
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