2002 FIA World Rally Championship
Cyprus Rally 2002
http://www.cyprusrally.org.cy/
Round 5 of the 2002 FIA World Rally Championship
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Extract from Official FIA Press Release
http://www.fia.com
[WRC] Cyprus Rally: Final
UNOFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS
OUTRIGHT
1 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 4:21:25,7
2 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 4:22:22,5
3 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 4:22:24,7
4 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 4:22:44,4
5 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 4:23:43,6
6 McRae Ford Focus WRC 4:24:11,2
7 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC 4:24:13,1
8 Martin Ford Focus WRC 4:25:48,3
9 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC 4:28:43,4
10 Panizzi Peugeot 206 WRC 4:29:37,9
GROUP N
1 Singh Proton Pert 4:52:17,9
2 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer 4:57:59,4
3 Baldini Mitsubishi Lancer 4:59:10,7
4 Dimitar Mitsubishi Lancer 5:00:06,0
5 Girdauskas Mitsubishi Lancer 5:03:08,5
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers:
Grönholm (FIN) 31
Panizzi (F) 20
Burns (GB) 19
Mäkinen (FIN) 14
Rovanperä (FIN) 9
Sainz (E) 9
Bugalski (F) 7
Solberg (N) 7
Loeb (F) 6
C. McRae (GB) 6
A. McRae (GB) 2
FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers:
Peugeot 68
Subaru 27
Ford 27
Mitsubishi 6
Hyundai 2
Skoda 0
FIA Junior World Rally Championship (after 2 of 6 rounds):
Duval (B) 11
Sola (E) 10
Caldani (I) 6
Dallavilla (I) 6
Basso (I) 4
Feghali (RL) 4
FIA Cup for Drivers of Production Cars (after 3 of 8 rounds):
Sohlberg (FIN) 10
Ferreyros (PE) 10
Singh (MAL) 10
Iliev (BG) 9
Trelles (ROU) 9
Arai (J) 6
STAGE WINNERS
Solberg SS 4,10,11,12,13,18
Mäkinen SS 5,9,16,17,19
C.McRae SS 1,6
Sainz SS 7,8
Duval SS 2
Martin SS 3
Rovanperä SS 15
Burns SS 20
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS12 A.McRae Mitsubishi Lancer WRC No Drive
SS12 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC Mechanical
SS12 Kresta Skoda Octavia WRC Mechanical
SS9 Duval Ford Focus WRC Mechanical
SS8 Paasonen Mitsubishi Lancer Hit rock
SS4 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC Sump
SS1 Arai Subaru Impreza Mis-fire
Sunday, 21 April 2002
Peugeot driver Marcus Grönholm has scored his second victory in this year's World Rally Championship on the fifth round, the Cyprus Rally, which finished in Limassol this afternoon. After an exciting final day's action, the Finn and navigator Timo Rautiainen led home team mates Richard Burns and Robert Reid to secure Peugeot's fourth straight one-two finish. Overnight leaders Colin McRae and Nicky Grist suffered a disastrous final day, though - they rolled three times in two separate accidents and had to fight back in the last stage to secure even a single point.
Like yesterday, the spring Cyprus weather played games with the world's top rally stars, and the closing loop of stages was hit by occasional heavy rain showers. Burns's runners-up spot was only secured in the last test, after he overhauled four-times world champion Tommi Mäkinen. It was a result that moved him further clear of the Finn in the world championship standings but he still lies in third, behind his asphalt specialist team-mate Gilles Panizzi.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Richard Burns, Harri Rovanperä and Gilles Panizzi have been reliable today. Marcus Grönholm complained of steering glitches after the opening loop of tests, but his car ran without problems otherwise.
Sporting: Marcus Grönholm pushed hard on today's opening pair of stages and when Colin McRae rolled, it handed the 2000 world champion a decisive advantage that he held until the finish to secure his second win of the year and extend his world drivers' championship points advantage. Richard Burns closed down Tommi Mäkinen this morning and inched ahead after SS18, but then the Finn reclaimed the second position (after Colin McRae's problems) prior to the final test. Burns charged again, though, and he passed Mäkinen once more to secure another one-two finish for Peugeot. Harri Rovanperä relied heavily on Michelin's ATS mousse system as he suffered four punctures on this morning's opening three stages. The former Swedish Rally winner controlled his pace in the tricky conditions this afternoon to finish fourth. Peugeot's fourth driver Gilles Panizzi finished 10th as he continued to gain more experience of the 206 WRC on loose surfaces.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "I wasn't sure if we could pass Colin this morning, although when we took so much time in the opening stage I thought it might be possible. I attacked again but then he made a mistake, so we had a good lead after that and it was just about not making any mistakes. I'm really happy with the result, because it shows the 206 can win rallies on rough surfaces.
Richard Burns said: "I didn't think I'd get past Tommi in the last stage, really. He should have had a better tyre choice for the drier conditions. But we pushed again and I think he made a small mistake, so it worked out well. I've still been learning the 206 on gravel on this event, but we've come away with six more points and the car has been proven on the rougher surfaces. It's been a great rally for the whole team.
Harri Rovanperä said: "Of course I think I could have been on Richard's pace and closer to him in the results, but we had some problems in the rain yesterday. If you look at the times I think it would have been possible but then, it's always easy to say that after the rally. I think the 206 has shown that it can be quick and strong on the rougher roads now, and with Argentina next I'm feeling quite confident about the rallies in the next few months.
SUBARU
Technical: The Impreza WRC2002s of Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg have been reliable today.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen expected a battle with Richard Burns today and he got it - and the pair were ultimately fighting over second place once Colin McRae had crashed for the second time. Mäkinen looked to have done enough on the penultimate stage but on the final, drier test he had to reverse and restart after a half-spin. The time loss was enough to allow Burns into second overall and demote Mäkinen to the final podium place. Petter Solberg, meanwhile, finished fifth as he concluded a strong recovery after his first-day problems. The young Norwegian suffered a quick roll on SS17 but then he benefited from McRae's problems. He also passed both Kenneth Eriksson and Markko Martin as he moved into the points placings. Solberg has now scored points on each of the last three events.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "We didn't have much luck with tyre choice today. I'm sure if we'd gone for tyres for wetter conditions this afternoon we could have made things much more difficult for Richard. But we went for drier rubber and then it started to rain very heavily! In the last stage I just got one wheel too much on the inside of a slow corner and the back end of the car came around - we had to reverse and then start again, and I'm sure that cost us enough time for Richard to get past. It's a little disappointing when we could have had second overall but we've learnt a lot about the car and our tyre choices here.
Petter Solberg said: "I'm delighted with my fightback here. We had an awful first day but we got back into the car yesterday and charged, and it's paid off. Of course I feel that we could have done even better if we'd had no problems on Friday so that means I'm not totally happy, but yesterday and today have been very good. It was seriously slippery this morning and I made that small mistake which meant we rolled, but otherwise it was an excellent day.
FORD
Technical: Colin McRae's Ford Focus WRC was generally reliable today - its only real problem was power steering failure, but that came as a result of the Scot's accident in SS16. He then suffered a loss of windscreen wipers in his second accident in SS19, hampering him in the prevailing rain. Markko Martin, meanwhile, lost his power steering and damaged the steering rack in his own accident (at the same SS16 corner that claimed McRae). It was, in fact, a bad morning for Ford's steering - Carlos Sainz's system failed in this morning's first stage.
Sporting: Colin McRae had to fight off Marcus Grönholm this morning but confusion over split times shown to the Scot in the day's opening stage meant that he backed off and lost nearly 13s to his rival. He tried to respond in SS16, but around a kilometre from the finish he cut a corner and clipped a concrete block hidden in some bushes. The car rolled and even though it ended up back on its wheels, the car's power steering was damaged and by the time McRae had returned to Limassol service, he was nearly 50s behind Grönholm. The 1995 world champion regrouped for the afternoon tests but in SS18, he rolled again, dropping out of the top six. A fightback over the final couple of tests was enough for him to pass Armin Schwarz and finished sixth, gaining a potentially crucial drivers' point. Markko Martin's hopes of a points finish effectively ended on today's second stage, when the Estonian was caught out at the same left-hand corner as McRae and also rolled, damaging his own power steering. He recovered in the afternoon but eventually finished eighth. Carlos Sainz suffered more power steering problems today as he continued to fight back after his first-day dramas. The Spaniard finished in 11th.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "I'm gutted. We basically had two really good days and then one really awful one. This morning I got given the wrong split time in the opening stage so I backed off a bit too much, allowing Marcus to really close in. Then we were trying harder in the next stage and I cut a corner a bit too much. There was a concrete block hidden in bushes and it put the car right over and back onto its wheels. But the power steering was broken so we lost more time on the next stage. We tried to fight back this afternoon but the roads were very slippery and I got caught out on some mud and rolled again.
HYUNDAI
Technical: The remaining Accent WRC3 of Armin Schwarz ran without major problems today, although the German did suffer from three punctures in this morning's opening loop of stages. The former European Champion also continued to complain of softening shock absorbers in the rougher stretches of the Cyprus stages. Tomasz Kuchar's Accent WRC2 was basically reliable, though, since the team had cured the overheating problems that had hampered the young Pole for the opening two days.
Sporting: Armin Schwarz had to watch Petter Solberg pull away from him this morning, but he moved back past his Norwegian rival when he rolled in SS17. Solberg responded again in the final group of stages and Schwarz entered the penultimate test effectively resigned to seventh. That aim quickly became sixth when he heard that McRae had rolled again, but Schwarz was unable to fight off the resurgent Ford driver in the very last stage and he missed out on the final drivers' point by just under two seconds. Tomasz Kuchar, meanwhile, finished in 14th after an outing designed to boost his experience of the Accent.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: "I'm annoyed to miss out on the drivers' point by such a small margin because if I'd known a bit earlier, I'm sure we could have been at least five seconds quicker in SS19. As it was, I didn't push too hard in the rough stuff.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson lost some time with a broken brake pipe this morning, but his Octavia was generally reliable otherwise. Toni Gardemeister, meanwhile, felt that his Octavia was too stiffly sprung for this morning's stages.
Sporting: Kenneth Eriksson's brake problems cost the Swede crucial seconds this morning, and he was unable to halt a slide down the top ten as a result. The former Asia-Pacific champion eventually claimed ninth in his Octavia. Team-mate Toni Gardemeister knew that he'd struggle to break into the top ten after his catalogue of problems yesterday and so it proved - the young Finn enjoyed a relatively troublefree day (although he complained of too stiff a suspension set-up this morning) but he couldn't better 15th overall.
Quotes: Toni Gardemeister said: "This morning was really difficult for me. The car was bouncing around everywhere and it felt like I had absolutely no traction coming out of the corners. It's been a hard event for everyone, including the whole Skoda team, but I think we've come through it pretty well.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: The sole remaining Lancer Evo WRC of François Delecour has been reliable today.
Sporting: François Delecour enjoyed solid reliability today, but the Frenchman decided not to take too many risks when conditions worsened this afternoon. He experimented with the Lancer's set-up throughout the final day and eventually finished in 13th overall.
Quotes: François Delecour said: "This has been a really hard rally for everyone, but it's a shame for us that we lost so much time on Friday and in the rain yesterday. Without the wipers and driveshaft problems we'd have been able to get into the same sort of position as the Skoda and the Hyundai, and that would have allowed us to possibly fight for a point when things went a bit crazy at the front of the field today. But again, we've learnt a lot and now we have to look forward to Argentina.
OTHER ENTRIES
Proton driver Karamjit Singh made a good start to his campaign in the World Championship for Drivers of Production Cars by winning the Group N category in Cyprus. Uruguayan Gustavo Trelles finished second in his Mitsubishi, while Italian Luca Baldini secured the final podium place, ahead of Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev.
[WRC] Cyprus Rally: End of Leg 2
OUTRIGHT
1 McRae Ford Focus WRC 3:08:50,5
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 3:09:16,7
3 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 3:10:35,3
4 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 3:10:45,6
5 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 3:10:55,4
6 Martin Ford Focus WRC 3:11:03,9
7 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC 3:11:27,6
8 Solberg Subaru Impreza WRC 3:11:31,1
9 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC 3:11:36,4
10 Stohl Ford Focus WRC 3:14:46,1
GROUP N
1 Singh Proton Pert 3:28:59,6
2 Dimitar Mitsubishi Lancer 3:35:44,5
3 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer 3:36:46,3
4 Girdauskas Mitsubishi Lancer 3:36:59,0
5 Baldini Mitsubishi Lancer 3:37:02,2
STAGE WINNERS
SS1 - McRae, SS2 - Martin, SS3 - Solberg, SS4 - Gronholm, SS5 - Rovanpera, SS6 - Duval SS7 - Sainz, SS8 - Sainz, SS9 - Makinen, SS10 - Solberg, SS11 - Solberg, SS12 - Solberg, SS13 - Solberg, SS14 - Cancelled
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS9 Duval Ford Focus WRC Mechanical
SS8 Paasonen Mitsubishi Lancer Hit rock
SS4 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC Sump
SS1 Arai Subaru Impreza Mis-fire
Saturday, 20th April 2002
Ford driver Colin McRae has extended his advantage on the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Cyprus Rally, which continued today. McRae's Focus WRC started today's eight scheduled tests less than seven seconds clear of Marcus Grönholm's Peugeot but by the time the cars returned this evening's overnight halt in Limassol, he'd extended that gap to more than 25s.
The Cyprus Rally's switch to a spring date raised the chance of occasional showers but crews had to cope with everything from dust to rocks, thunderstorms to deep mud during today's tests. Many drivers described SS12 as the worst conditions they'd ever had to compete in, with deep water-filled ruts and treacherous mud. One part of the final stage was so bad that organisers elected to scrap the stage from the schedule. The difficult roads clearly suited Tommi Mäkinen, though - the four-times world champion moved from fifth to third today.
The event's tough reputation has finally started to be backed up by additions to the retirements list. François Duval succumbed to an oil pump problem this morning, while Freddy Loix and Alister McRae were both sidelined by gearbox problems during the middle loop of three stages.
FORD
Technical: François Duval's strong run in fourth place ended on today's third stage, when the Belgian's Focus lost oil pressure shortly after the start. Markko Martin struggled to find confidence in his car's brakes in SS9, while Colin McRae lost around 50 percent of his car's power steering pressure in the same test. Martin then suffered from a misting screen when the heavy rain arrived for SS11 and SS12. Carlos Sainz's car has been reliable today, though.
Sporting: Colin McRae expected to have to fight off Marcus Grönholm this morning and the Finn initially gained the upper hand, closing to within two seconds of the lead by lunchtime service. But the Scot responded in the afternoon's deteriorating weather to enter this evening's sole remaining test more than 25s clear. Markko Martin struggled with brake problems this morning and a badly misted screen didn't help his cause in the torrential rain of SS11 and SS12. The Estonian spun on the tvelwth test and he ended SS13 in sixth, behind both Harri Rvanpera and Richard Burns. François Duval could have benefited from Martin's problems but the young Belgian had already retired - oil pump problems forced him to pull over and stop in SS9. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, has recovered strongly after his problem filled opening day. The Spaniard set a number of fastest stage times as he charged back towards the top ten. He holds 12th overnight.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "The conditions in SS12 were easily the worst I'd ever seen. There were massive ruts and it you tried to break in the water-filled bits you just aquaplaned. If you got out of the ruts, though, you ended up in pure mud. The gap looks fairly good but so much depends on the conditions.
Markko Martin said: "It's been quite a difficult day actually. I just lost confidence in the brakes this morning and then when the rain came, the screen misted up badly and I couldn't see anything. There was actually one point where Michael (Park) called a two-left and I missed it completely because I just couldn't see where the road went.
François Duval said: "It was disappointing to retire on the second stage today because we'd chosen tyres that really suited the third stage of the loop and I know we could have done a good time there. I think I proved that I can do good times, but of course I wanted to get to the finish.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Harri Rovanperä have been reliable today, although Grönholm, felt his car's wheel alignment was far from perfect for the middle loop of three stages.
Sporting: Marcus Grönholm started his charge for the lead in style this morning, taking five seconds out of Colin McRae over the pening three stages. But once the conditions deteriorated the 2000 world champion lost time to the Ford driver, and he entered the closing stage of the day more than 25s behind. Richard Burns, meanwhile, has found improved form after his problems yesterday. The reigning champion moved ahead of team-mate Harri Rovanperä, Skoda's Kenneth Eriksson and Ford driver Markko Martin, although like many, he considered himself lucky to have emerged from SS12 without an accident. Rovanperä achieved that but he'd already rolled in SS11 - the Finn overturned his 206 at a slow hairpin and then had to compete in the SS12 downpour with a badly-broken windscreen and a broken side window in his door. He only dropped 3.6s to Burns in the test, though, so he entered SS13 just 8.6s behind the Briton. The fourth 206 driver, Gilles Panizzi, continued to gain experience of the gravel roads and he ended the day in 11th.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "I really thought I'd lose more time to Colin when the rain came. In fact, Timo (Rautiainen) said to me halfway through the stage, "Colin's going to catch us soon!' and I said, 'Yeah, maybe you're right!' but in the end, he only took about 15 seconds. There's still a lot to fight for but the conditions are really difficult.
Harri Rovanperä said: "I rolled at a really slow hairpin. I thought the car was going to go back onto its wheels again and in fact, I actually reached for the ignition switch to make a quick restart. But then it went back onto its side so we had to wait for spectators. It made the next stage in the rain very difficult, because the windscreen was very bad - we had mud on the inside - and my own side window was broken too. Every time I went sideways I got covered in mud!"
Richard Burns said: "There were places in SS12 where we would normally be in fifth gear and we were in second - the roads were that slippery. Harri did very well in there not to lose more time with his problems.
SUBARU
Technical: The Impreza WRC2002s of Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg have been generally reliable today, although Mäkinen did suffer a slight scare with low boost pressure in SS8.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen has been today's pacesetter - the four-times world champion moved clear of Markko Martin this morning and with François Duval also retiring, the Finn entered the day's closing stage in third overall. A tyre gamble backfired in the SS12 downpour, though, and he dropped nearly a minute to second-placed Grönholm as a result. Petter Solberg has also set some fast times as he continues to recover from his catalogue of problems yesterday. The Norwegian actually benefited from running first on the road at times - particularly in SS11, when he got a dry run before his rivals were hampered by rain. He ended SS13 in eight.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "It's been good today. We made some small changes to the suspension and now I have a much better feeling with the car. I don't know how much higher we can go but we'll keep pushing. This is the sort of rally where anyone can hit problems and that could make a big difference yet.
SKODA
Technical: Kenneth Eriksson has lost time with differential hydraulic pressure problems today. Although the Skoda team tried to fix the problem at lunchtime service, it continued to trouble the Swede this afternoon. He also suffered from a misted screen in the heavy rain of SS12. Toni Gardemeister also struggled in the same stage - the young Finn's wipers failed and he had to stop around a dozen times to wipe his windscreen. He'd earlier lost time with gearbox glitches.
Sporting: Kenneth Eriksson's differential problems have dropped the Swede down the order today, since he's been unable to defend his sixth place against rivals like Richard Burns and Harri Rovanperä. He still entered today's last stage in seventh place, however. Toni Gardemeister lost time with gearbox problems this morning, then he had to stop a dozen times in SS12 to clean his screen after his windscreen wipers failed. He holds 16th overnight. The third works Octavia driver, Roman Kresta, crashed out in SS12.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: "It's been hard with the differential problems today. The front and centre diffs are losing pressure and the car's difficult to turn in. Braking's pretty unpredictable as well. It's a shame we've had problems because so many others have had glitches too and we could have benefited from that.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Armin Schwarz has enjoyed a basically troublefree day in his Accent WRC3, but Freddy Loix was forced to retire his example when it stuck in second gear in SS12. The Belgian had to try to find first gear for a steep hill but he could select neutral and nothing else, so he retired on the spot. Tomasz Kuchar's car has struggled with overheating today, meanwhile.
Sporting: Freddy Loix lost more time this morning with a repeat of the air box filter problem that hampered him yesterday, but the Belgian was still challenging for a points placing when gearbox problems forced him to retire in SS12. Armin Schwarz, meanwhile, was less than happy with his suspension settings this morning but the German recovered to cope well in the poor road conditions of the middle three-stage loop. He entered the day's closing stage in eighth overall. Team-mate Tomasz Kuchar continued to gain experience of the Accent WRC, but the Pole lies 15th overall.
Quotes: Armin Schwarz said: "Conditions this afternoon were absolutely terrible. I took it very easy in the standing water because we know that we can cause a misfire that way, but it was almost like wet roads in Kenya.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: Mitsubishi lost Alister McRae's Lancer Evo WRC in SS12 after the Scot suffered gearbox problems and lost drive. François Delecour watched seconds tick by this morning after a driveshaft failure in the day's longest stage, SS9, and then the Frenchman's windscreen wipers failed in the heavy rain of SS12. Jani Paasonen, meanwhile, retired on today's opening stage with broken steering after he clouted a rock.
Sporting: François Delecour broke another driveshaft this morning, losing more valuable seconds, but the Frenchman at least had one lucky break when he got a predominantly dry run through SS11 before the heavens opened. His luck turned on the following test, though - his windscreen wipers failed in heavy rain, forcing him to stop twice to clean the screen of mud. He entered the closing stage in 14th. Alister McRae lost time with a slow roll on today's second stage and then the Scot's rally ended with gearbox failure in SS12. The third Lancer WRC driver, Jani Paasonen, retired on today's opening stage after he slid wide at a corner on a brief asphalt section of the stage and clipped a rock, breaking the steering.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "The roll was at a really slow hairpin left. I think the right-front wheel must have been right on the outside edge of the road and when I accelerated, the car just slid off the road and rolled down onto the road below. We landed on our roof and pointing the wrong way up the stage so we found some spectators and they helped us.
François Delecour said: "It's been another difficult day for us. The driveshaft this morning cost me more time but the biggest problem for me was the wipers in the heavy rain. It was just impossible to see where I was going, especially when mud splashed onto the screen.
OTHER ENTRIES
Proton driver Karamjit Singh leads the Group N category, after yesterday's class leader Giovanni Manfrinato crashed out this morning. Bulgarian Dimitar Iliev holds second, while multiple class champion Gustavo Trelles lost time when he stopped to change a tyre.
[WRC] Cyprus Rally: End of Leg 1
OUTRIGHT
1 McRae Ford Focus WRC 1:27:42,3
2 Gronholm Peugeot 206 WRC 1:27:49,2
3 Martin Ford Focus WRC 1:27:56,3
4 Duval Ford Focus WRC 1:27:59,2
5 Makinen Subaru Impreza WRC 1:28:14,8
6 Eriksson Skoda Octavia WRC 1:28:37,0
7 Loix Hyundai Accent WRC 1:28:48,3
8 Rovanpera Peugeot 206 WRC 1:28:50,6
9 Burns Peugeot 206 WRC 1:28:58,0
10 Schwarz Hyundai Accent WRC 1:29:01,2
GROUP N
1 Manfrinato Mitsubishi Lancer 1:34:19,4
2 Singh Proton Pert 1:34:25,7
3 Trelles Mitsubishi Lancer 1:35:54,4
4 Valousek Mitsubishi Lancer 1:37:55,5
5 Baldini Mitsubishi Lancer 1:38:43,2
STAGE WINNERS
SS1 - McRae, SS2 - Martin, SS3 - Solberg, SS4 - Gronholm, SS5 - Rovanpera, SS6 - Duval
LEADING RETIREMENTS
SS4 Kankkunen Hyundai Accent WRC Sump
SS1 Arai Subaru Impreza Mis-fire
Friday, 19th April 2002
Ford driver Colin McRae has lived up to his pre-event billing as one of the favourites by grabbing the lead of the fifth round of the FIA World Rally Championship, the Cyprus Rally, which started today. The Scot's Focus WRC set fastest times on two of today's six special stages, held in the mountains to the north of the event's host town, Limassol. He holds an overnight lead of just under seven seconds over 2000 world champion Marcus Grönholm, who fought hard to minimise the time loss caused by his position as first car on the gravel-coated roads today. It has been a day of mixed fortunes for Ford - McRae's young team mates Markko Martin and François Duval have each topped the timesheets, and they ended today's stages in third and fourth respectively. But double world champion Carlos Sainz hit misfortunate at almost every turn - transmission problems cost him time for much of this morning, then a loss of power steering stifled any chances of a recovery this afternoon. Despite the warm temperatures and rough conditions, only one works driver - Hyundai's Juha Kankkunen - retired with mechanical problems today.
FORD
Technical: The Focus RS WRC02s of Colin McRae and Markko Martin have been reliable today, but Carlos Sainz has hit a catalogue of problems. The Spaniard's car broke a driveshaft in this morning's first stage, forcing him to complete the remaining two tests with just three-wheel drive. On the return visit to the same three stages this afternoon, his power steering failed at virtually the same point. He had to fight through a further 30km with the problem.
Sporting: Colin McRae always said that he'd have to maximise any clean road advantage during today's opening leg and the Scot has achieved exactly that. Fastest on the first and last stages today was enough to put the 1995 world champion into the overnight lead - and ensure that he'll start 15th on the road tomorrow and benefit from cleaner stages as a result. With Carlos Sainz losing chunks of time with mechanical problems on every stage today (the Spaniard holds 23rd overnight), McRae's closest Ford challengers have been his two young team-mates. A first fastest time at WRC level moved François Duval into the rally lead after SS2, and then Estonian Markko Martin grabbed his share of the limelight by topping the timesheets and grabbing the overall lead on SS3. Martin ended the day in third, 7.1s behind Grönholm, while Duval is a further 3.9s behind in fourth.
Quotes: Colin McRae said: "I'm reasonably happy. The car's been working well today and even though the stages have been rough - probably a bit rougher than last year - we haven't really had any problems. I'd say that at the moment it looks like Marcus is going to be the big threat, because he's been fast running as first car on the road today and he'll be running just ahead of us tomorrow.
Carlos Sainz said: "There's nothing really to do now but just drive and try to learn. I'd like to think that we can always learn something but it's been a very difficult, disappointing day.
Markko Martin said: "I'm really pleased with how the day has gone. It was great to lead, of course, even though I think I probably took things a bit too easily when the went over the stages a second time this afternoon. It seemed very, very rough to me and I didn't want to push any harder than that, but the other guys found a little bit more speed.
PEUGEOT
Technical: The 206 WRCs of Marcus Grönholm, Richard Burns and Harri Rovanperä have been reliable today, although Rovanperä complained of too hard a tyre compound for this morning's opening batch of three stages. Gilles Panizzi's car suffered substantial bodywork damage during his third-stage roll, but the Frenchman had been complaining of poor handling at the front of the car before his accident.
Sporting: Marcus Grönholm had expected to lose time today because his position as first car on the road meant he'd have to sweep clear loose gravel for his rivals, but the Finn fought gamely against any disadvantage this morning. Only the Fords were regularly able to beat the 2000 title holder's times as he kept himself in contention - and ensured that he won't have to act as road sweeper tomorrow. He ended the day in second overall, less than seven seconds behind McRae. Richard Burns was less comfortable with the conditions and his car this morning, but the reigning world champion was still able to keep his car in the top ten throughout today's six stages. He complained of high temperatures inside the 206 this afternoon and arrived back in Limassol in ninth, just behind team-mate Harri Rovanperä. The Finnish driver lost time on the opening three tests when he picked a harder tyre than his team-mates, but he recovered this afternoon to inch clear of Burns and keep both Freddy Loix and Kenneth Eriksson in sight. The fourth 206 WRC driver, Gilles Panizzi, struggled with poor handling on today's opening stages and he rolled in SS3 as a result. He continued after waiting to ensure that Burns passed him and didn't get caught in his dust, but the Frenchman lost around four minutes.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "It's been a fairly good day really. I'm quite happy. This morning in particular went better than I had expected, because we didn't lose so much time, even though we were running on the loose gravel and first on the road. We're obviously close to Colin although he looks very strong, but we've definitely got ourselves into a position where we can fight for the victory.
Harri Rovanperä said: "This morning I lost some time because I put too hard a tyre compound on. There wasn't much of a clean line and the roads were narrow, so it was hard to stay on the good grip.
SUBARU
Technical: Both Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg have complained about too soft a rear suspension set-up during all of today's stages, but they admit that a solution to the situation is unlikely until the team can test again after the rally. Mäkinen was also slowed by a digital display failure this morning, since it left the Finn uncertain of his engine revs or what gear he had selected. Solberg, meanwhile, lost rear differential pressure at the end of SS1 and although the problem was fixed just before SS3, the throttle pedal then broke barely two kilometres into that stage. The Norwegian had to stop and fix the problem but even then, he only had 50 percent throttle for the remaining 18 kilometres.
Sporting: Tommi Mäkinen has managed to keep his Subaru in contention today, despite dissatisfaction with the car's rear suspension set-up. A digital display glitch also cost the four-times world champion valuable seconds this morning, but he recovered this afternoon (despite opting for too soft a tyre) to hold fifth overnight. Petter Solberg hit rear differential problems near the end of SS1 but even then, the Norwegian held second overall after that opening test. But the problem worsened for SS2 and even though it was fixed for SS3, throttle glitches cost him around four minutes. He ended the day in 16th overall.
Quotes: Tommi Mäkinen said: "The problem with the display cost me some time this morning, because it's hard to have real confidence coming into corners when you can't see the revs or what gear you're in. But the suspension problem was more serious - I think in our test the road wasn't fast or rough enough, so the rear set-up is too soft.
MITSUBISHI
Technical: Alister McRae broke four front driveshafts today - two in SS3, one in SS5 and one in SS6 - and he also lost the brakes towards the end of SS2 this morning. François Delecour hit similar problems in the same stages this morning. The team's third Lancer, driven by Jani Paasonen, has run without major mechanical problems.
Sporting: Jani Paasonen is Mitsubishi's top hope after a difficult day for Ralliart. The Finn, driving a Lancer for only the second time, escaped the driveshaft and brake problems that hampered his team-mates Alister McRae and François Delecour. Despite a couple of spins and a stall, Paasonen arrived back in Limassol this evening in 14th. Delecour got a cleaner run through today's closing three stages than McRae, and the Frenchman holds 15th overnight. McRae, meanwhile, broke a total of four driveshafts today, and he will start tomorrow's action in 18th.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "It's been a pretty frustrating day, obviously. I don't know what's causing the driveshaft problems but it was really hard work this afternoon when we only had rear-wheel drive for the closing few kilometres.
HYUNDAI
Technical: Freddy Loix's Accent WRC3 suffered handling problems on the third stage of both loops today, and the Belgian was also troubled by a misfire after an air box filter protector somehow got sucked into the filter itself. Armin Schwarz had to complete SS2 and SS3 with a rear puncture after two tyres came off their rims in SS1. He complained of softening suspension in this afternoon's stages. The third Accent WRC driver Juha Kankkunen was the day's only works entry retirement, meanwhile - the four-times world champion ground to a halt with oil sump problems between SS4 and SS5. Tomasz Kuchar's Accent has been reliable, though.
Sporting: Despite peculiar handling problems that baffled both him and the Hyundai team, Freddy Loix kept his Accent in contention today and the Belgian will start tomorrow in seventh overall. Armin Schwarz was hit by punctures this morning but the former European champion holds 10th, while Pole Tomasz Kuchar ended his run of appalling luck by at least completing a day's action in a works World Rally Car - he holds 21st overnight. Juha Kankkunen's return to a works line-up didn't last long, though - he hit oil sump problems after SS4 and retired on the road section to SS5.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "This morning was good and bad. In the first two stages I had quite a good feeling and the times weren't bad at all, but then in SS3 the gearshift came loose near the end and there was also something really wrong with the front suspension. When I braked the car pulled to the left and when I stopped braking it shot off to the right.
SKODA
Technical: The Octavia WRCs of Kenneth Eriksson and Roman Kresta have run without problems today. Toni Gardemeister lost his anti-lag system from the middle of SS4 and through both SS5 and SS6.
Sporting: Kenneth Eriksson has a good record of taking advantage of road position in Cyprus and the Swedish veteran again used swept-clean roads to put his Octavia WRC into the thick of the top-six battle. Despite one puncture and caution over the rockier sections, Eriksson ended today's action in sixth overall. Toni Gardemeister felt he'd been overly cautious this morning but the young Finn still holds 11th, while the third Octavia driver, Roman Kresta, occupies 19th.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: "We expected it to be rough after the recce, and it has been. It's nearly too rutted to be fun here, because you're actually relying on luck a lot of the time. We're not just worried about getting punctures, but also the suspension and the oil sump because they take a hell of a battering.
OTHER ENTRIES
A number of privateer World Rally Car drivers have been able to challenge the factory crews today. Manfred Stohl and Janne Tuohino hold 12th and 13th in their Fords, while Gabriel Pozzo is 17th in his semi official Skoda despite propshaft problems.
In the Group N category, Giovanni Manfrinato holds the class lead in his Mitsubishi Lancer E6, ahead of Karamjit Singh's Proton. But two Production Car World Championship contenders hit trouble - Ramon Ferreyros crashed out and was taken to hospital for observation, while Toshihiro Arai was sidelined by a chronic misfire.
Thursday, 18 April 2002
The FIA World Rally Championship moves to gravel for its fifth round, the Cyprus Rally, which starts in Limassol tomorrow morning. But the sport's top drivers know that this year's adventure on the Mediterranean island could be the most unpredictable since Cyprus joined the WRC in 2000. A switch to a spring date has resulted in mixed conditions - the stifling heat of previous years has been absent during the event build-up, and there was even a thunderstorm and a hail shower at the final shakedown this morning.
World championship leader Marcus Grönholm will be hoping that the damp conditions return for tomorrow morning's stages, since he will have to run first on the road and if conditions are dry, that will place him as gravel sweeper for his rivals. In truth, though, the first half-dozen crews are all likely to suffer in the often-deep loose gravel, so front-runners like Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae, Tommi Mäkinen and Richard Burns will have to watch for potential pacesetters further down the starting order. In particular, both Hyundai (which brings Juha Kankkunen to its line-up for this event) and Mitsubishi (which adds Jani Paasonen) will be hoping for improved fortunes after difficulties on the recent asphalt rallies.
PEUGEOT (1st - 52 points)
Technical: Peugeot sends four 206 WRCs to Cyprus - the first time that the team has entered so many cars since Australia last year. All are fitted with regular anti-roll bars, not the hydraulic units that have seen action on the recent asphalt events. Peugeot is hoping that extensive testing and development will have made the 206 WRC a reliable proposition on rough gravel - the surface was its principal weak spot during last year's title-winning campaign.
Sporting: Peugeot brings back Harri Rovanperä to its manufacturers points nominations as the world championship returns to gravel, but the French manufacturer fields its usual driver line-up in any case. Marcus Grönholm and Richard Burns will score manufacturers' points for the team alongside Rovanperä, while Gilles Panizzi will use a full factory-spec car to gain further experience on gravel.
Quotes: Marcus Grönholm said: "I'll certainly end up losing some time tomorrow morning but maybe it won't be so bad. As for the car, it feels a bit stronger but then, I'm sure the stages here are actually a bit rougher this year. It might be slightly better for me if it rains tomorrow morning but I don't think it'll be very nice for anyone if that happens.
Harri Rovanperä said: "My starting position is sixth on the road for tomorrow which isn't the best place but is certainly better than Marcus. I think we can surprise some people here because the car has been very good in testing, very strong. Cyprus Rally last year was the first event for this evolution of the car and since then, we've learnt a lot more about the set-up.
FORD (2nd - 25 points)
Technical: Ford has made only minimal changes to the Focus WRC for this event. A different specification of sump guard, developed in the final few months of last year, allows the car a little extra ground clearance. All of the Focuses will run using the older-spec roll cage, not the new design that was introduced in Catalunya. Colin McRae's car, meanwhile, will be fitted with a regular gearshift as the Scot continues his recovery from his Tour of Corsica accident.
Sporting: Ford nominates its three usual drivers - Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Martin - as well as running a fourth 2002-specification Focus for young Belgian star François Duval. Sainz's navigator Luis Moya will return to the co-driver's seat on this event, even though the injuries he sustained in a Catalunya testing accident have yet to fully heal.
Quotes: Carlos Sainz said: "In the past the Ford has been a good package here so we should be quite optimistic, but this will be a difficult rally. It's maybe a little bit rougher this year, and it'll be hard to tell what will happen if it rains. I hope it stays dry.
Malcolm Wilson said: "For us it would be much better if it's dry and hot, since our car has a good record in those conditions and the roads would also be cleaned by the first few crews as well. We've won this rally both years since it came into the world championship but I'm not expecting it to be as easy this time around.
Luis Moya said: "I'm in a bit of pain all the time - it's pretty much constant instead of getting worse over the bumps - but it's not quite as bad as I expected. I never thought about missing this event for a second. I wanted to be here and I'm here.
SUBARU (3rd - 20 points)
Technical: Subaru has made few changes to the Impreza WRC2002 for its first appearance on gravel, although the team did slot in an extra test yesterday to allow Petter Solberg to evaluate some new-specification dampers on his car. Engineers have concentrated on keeping the crew cool, since the roof-mounted air vent has to be closed on this event to prevent clouds of dust from entering the cockpit. Extra fans have been fitted inside the Impreza to compensate for this. Solberg has a new car for this event - one of only two top works drivers to do so.
Sporting: Subaru enters its two regular drivers, Tommi Mäkinen and Petter Solberg.
Quotes: Petter Solberg said: "We had a good test for this event and I think we've made some quite big steps forward on gravel settings. I think we've got a good chance to achieve an excellent result here - after the last few rallies on asphalt the next few rallies have been good to Subaru and Pirelli in the past. I hope that will be the case in 2002 as well!
Technical Director David Lapworth said: "This event is still quite a challenge, even if the temperatures are lower this year. The key is really to have durability and then keep your fingers crossed that you don't come across a bad rock in the middle of the road. Our feeling is that this event can mark a turning point in the season - we've now got ten rallies left and of those, only two are on asphalt. I think we've still got a good chance, especially in the drivers' championship.
MITSUBISHI (4th - 6 points)
Technical: Mitsubishi Ralliart has not changed much of the Lancer Evo WRC's gravel specification since it last appeared on this surface on the Rally GB last November. But the team has tested extensively and altered differential maps and suspension geometry. Drivers report improved turn-in as a result. Mitsubishi has also introduced lower gear-ratios to cope with the twisty Cyprus roads. François Delecour is one of only two top works drivers to have a new car at his disposal for this event.
Sporting: Mitsubishi brings a third car to Cyprus. Alongside regular pilots François Delecour and Alister McRae, Finnish driver Jani Paasonen will make his second appearance for the team. Paasonen, who previously drove a Lancer in Sweden, will be nominated for manufacturers' points.
Quotes: Alister McRae said: "We've obviously worked hard on the gravel set-up of the car since we tested just after Network Q Rally GB last year. It's certainly felt good during testing, although that doesn't tell us where we'll be against the other guys. I'm reasonably confident that we'll be more capable of challenging here than we were on asphalt on the last few events. The car needs to be strong for this event and it's felt strong.
Jani Paasonen said: "I'm really just looking to have a clean run and see what I can do for Mitsubishi. We didn't get a chance to test for this event so tomorrow will be about settling in. It's going to be hard for me to judge my speed - I want to be quick enough to impress people but this is the sort of rally where one silly mistake can mean retirement, so I've got to be careful too.
HYUNDAI (5th - 1 point)
Technical: Hyundai has concentrated on honing the Accent WRC3 for its first appearance on gravel. Cyprus also marks the first time that the team has used Proflex dampers on loose surfaces. That aside, the team's rally partner Motor Sport Developments has focused on fine tuning differential settings and testing durability. The team's preparations weren't helped when its pre-event test was hit by poor weather, including a day of snow.
Sporting: Regular drivers Armin Schwarz and Freddy Loix are joined by four-times world champion Juha Kankkunen in Hyundai's manufacturers points-nominated Accent WRC3s on this event. The team is also fielding a fourth Accent in the hands of Polish driver Tomasz Kuchar - the appearance is form of compensation after he failed to complete a single stage on his first outing for Hyundai, then failed to start in his second.
Quotes: Freddy Loix said: "I have quite a good feeling with the car on gravel already - it's an easier car to drive than the Lancer I used last year, much better for turn-in in corners. I don't know what we can expect here - we've been close to the points a few times but not really managed to complete the performance so hopefully here we can get a clean run and take advantage of the road position. We've experimented a bit with the suspension and dampers and I feel I have a good set-up now.
SKODA (6th- 0 points )
Technical: Skoda sends three Octavia WRCs to this event, although their specification differs slightly from car to car. Finn Toni Gardemeister has retained the mechanical rear differential, but both Kenneth Eriksson and Roman Kresta have opted to use the 'active' rear differential instead - it's the first time that the system has been fitted to cars for a gravel event.
Sporting: Skoda has entered three manufacturers points-nominated Octavia WRCs for this event. Toni Gardemeister and Kenneth Eriksson will be joined in the line-up by the young Czech driver Roman Kresta. A fourth car, run by satellite team David Sutton Cars, will be driven by Group N World Champion Gabriel Pozzo.
Quotes: Kenneth Eriksson said: "I've worked a lot with the active rear differential and I believe we can make it a lot better for our speed, so I wanted to use it here. In basic form there's not much difference between it and the regular mechanical unit but it does allow you more opportunities to change settings on braking and acceleration. Already I feel that the settings we've found give me a little bit more traction - more bite - exiting corners. As for this rally, I'm quite confident that the Octavia is strong enough but you also need luck. In places you can find a rock pulled out by a car in front and that will end your event.
CITROEN
Citroen is missing the Cyprus Rally, although the team continues to hone the Xsara WRC to gravel and rough surfaces. It recently spent time in Kenya and it is also scheduled to test in Argentina.
OTHER ENTRIES
Beyond the factory World Rally Car entries, drivers like Achim Mortl and Bruno Thiry (both in Peugeot 206 WRCs) and Janne Tuohino (Ford Focus WRC) will be hoping to inch into the top ten.
Cyprus is the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship for Production Cars and most of the leading protagonists are present. Kristian Sohlberg and Ramon Ferreyros currently head the points table, although both have reverted back to Evo 6 Mitsubishi Lancers for Cyprus after recent outings in the latest Evo 7 version. Much attention will focus on Toshihiro Arai, though - the Japanese driver, who holds third in the series standings, will give Subaru's latest Group N Impreza its debut on this event. Developed by Prodrive, the new car is expected to provide the sternest challenge yet to Mitsubishi at this level.
TYRE FACTS
Michelin has introduced a new base tyre for this event - the first time that's happened in the world championship since the French manufacturer first used its ZE tyre in Australia in 1999. The new GW tyre is specifically designed to cope with rough, hard surfaces.
STAGE ITINERARY GMT +3
Leg 1 - Friday 19th April (356.80km)
08:00 Start from Limassol
09:12 SS 1 Platres - Kato Amiantos 1 11.60km
09:55 SS 2 Lagoudera - Kapouras 1 15.00km
10:23 SS 3 Kapouras - Agios Theodoros 1 21.56km
13:30 SS 4 Platres - Kato Amiantos 2 11.60km
14:13 SS 5 Lagoudera - Kapouras 2 15.00km
14:41 SS 6 Kapouras - Agios Theodoros 2 21.56km
17:05 End of leg 1 in Limassol
Leg 2 - Saturday 20th April (640.29km)
06:00 Start from Limassol
07:12 SS 7 Prastio - Pachna 1 10.92km
08:15 SS 8 Platres - Saittas 1 11.25km
08:58 SS 9 Kourdali - Spilia 30.62km
11:48 SS 10 Prastio - Pachna 2 10.92km
12:51 SS 11 Platres - Saittas 2 11.25km
13:26 SS 12 Foini - Koilinia 1 29.88km
16:56 SS 13 Platres - Saittas 3 11.25km
17:31 SS 14 Foini - Koilinia 2 29.88km
20:18 End of leg 2 in Limassol
Leg 3 - Sunday 21st April (309.12km)
08:00 Start from Limassol
09:35 SS 15 Vavatsinia - Mandra Kambiou 1 19.00km
10:18 SS 16 Macheras - Agioi Vavatsinias 1 12.80km
10:56 SS 17 Lageia - Kalavasos 1 9.14km
13:46 SS 18 Vavatsinia - Mandra Kambiou 2 19.00km
14:29 SS 19 Macheras - Agioi Vavatsinias 2 12.80km
15:07 SS 20 Lageia - Kalavasos 2 9.14km
16:30 Finish of the rally in Limassol
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