2005 Rally Argentina - 14th - 17th July
In this issue:
- Leaderboard after Leg One
- Leg One News
- Remaining Event Timetable
Leaderboard after Leg One:
1 LOEB/ELENA CITROEN TOTAL 1:54:40.6
2 SOLBERG/MILLS SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM +00:31.3
3 GRÖNHOLM/RAUTIAINEN MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL +00:44.6
4 GARDEMEISTER/HONKANEN BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM +02:00.1
5 ROVANPERA/PIETILAINEN MITSUBISHI MOTORS MOTOR SPORTS +02:08.2
6 MARTIN/PARK MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL +02:31.8
7 DUVAL/SMEETS CITROEN TOTAL +03:34.9
8 STOHL/MINOR Citroën Xsara WRC +03:40.4
9 ATKINSON/McNEAL SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM +04:10.8
10 PONS/DEL BARRIO XSARA WRC +05:08.3
Leg One News
Petter Solberg (Subaru) led after last night's super special stages and
maintained a narrow advantage over the opening two tests this morning. But
then Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) moved ahead, stretching his lead with fastest
time over the final three stages to end the leg 31.3sec ahead of the
Norwegian. Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) was a lonely third all day, the Finn
frustrated at not being able to match the pace of his rivals ahead. Harri
Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) held fourth early on but a spin and a faulty
handbrake cost two places. However, he moved ahead of Markko Märtin
(Peugeot) this afternoon to consolidate fifth. Gigi Galli (Mitsubishi) set
a strong pace and held fourth until retiring on the fifth stage. He
initially stopped with broken front right suspension but made repairs and
continued. However, the car then lost drive to one wheel and he retired.
Jani Paasonen (Skoda) also retired after hitting a rock in the same stage
and breaking his car's front left suspension. He will not re-start
tomorrow. Team-mate Armin Schwarz lies 20th after limping through the
afternoon stages with a broken damper mount.
Citroen
It's been full steam ahead for Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and Citroën
throughout the long opening leg of the 2005 Rally Argentina which has seen
them emerge in front. François Duval and Sven Smeets profited from the day
to get progressively back into the groove and an encouraging 2nd fastest
time in the final stage enabled them to conclude the leg in 7th position
overall.
Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "Being first on the road wasn't a problem. I
think the conditions were pretty much the same for the first three or four
cars. The 8-compound Michelin BTO tyre we are using here for the first time
was perfect. I was able to push hard and I think Petter was pushing hard
too."
Francois Duval/Sven Smeets: This event, which marks my return and on which
it is so easy to make a mistake, is an important rally for my career. It
isn't exactly a pressure-free outing, but Sven and I did well. We both know
that it won't be any easier tomorrow, but our objective will be the same: to
reach the finish!"
Subaru
Petter Solberg holds second place on Rally Argentina tonight after a furious
day of competition on the gravel roads of the Cordobese Sierras.
Solberg's Subaru Impreza WRC2005 ran faultlessly all day and enabled the
Norwegian to set the fastest time on two of the Leg's special stages, and
smash the previous stage record time on the Carlos Paz - Cabalango test.
Subaru's new signing for 2005, Chris Atkinson had a successful and
trouble-free day on his first-ever attempt at the Rally Argentina.
Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I'm pleased with our performance on the stages
today. The Pirelli tyres and the car have been working well. In the
afternoon, when the stages were rougher, we tried a slightly different
set-up, which didn't turn out as good as that in the morning. This afternoon
we also maybe lost some time with a harder tyre than the morning, but we
know where to go, and what to do for tomorrow. We have not been taking any
chances and we are not giving up on getting back on top again."
Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "Today was not bad for us and I am happy where
we are. The roads were rougher than we hoped, but our pace has still been
good. I had a bit of a moment in the last stage today when I took a 200kph
jump on slightly the wrong line and landed in the gutter - I was a bit more
cautious through the rest of that stage! There's still two long days to go
and the stages are faster, and hopefully smoother. I want to stick with
Duval and those other drivers who have much more experience."
Ford
BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen and
team-mates Roman Kresta and Jan Mozný produced strong performances on
today's opening leg of Rally Argentina. Gardemeister's consistent pace
earned fourth in his Ford Focus RS World Rally Car while Kresta's risk-free
strategy on his Argentine debut was rewarded with 11th in a similar car.
Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen: "It wasn't an easy morning. I pushed hard
but the times weren't as good as I hoped. I hit a stone on stage four and
bent a steering arm but that wasn't a big problem. However, I was lucky on
the next stage when I almost slid off the road on a fifth gear corner. I
slid wide several times. It was quite muddy in places after last night's
rain but the roads dried in the strong wind as the day went on.
Roman Kresta/Jan Mozny: "Our tyre choice this morning was good but this
afternoon I made a mistake and chose rubber that was too soft. Because I've
not driven here before I didn't know what the best choice would be. I had a
good feeling with the Focus all day and it's a shame I couldn't make the
most of that this afternoon because of my tyre choice. I've driven
carefully because it's a difficult rally for a newcomer. The roads have a
hard base beneath the gravel so they were slippery this morning and some
parts were rough and rutted on the repeat run this afternoon. Tomorrow
morning's stages are much faster so I will try to drive flat out."
Peugeot
Marcus Gronholm has fought like a lion throughout the opening leg of the
Rally Argentina, which made up almost 50% of the total competitive distance.
Marcus finishes the leg third in his Peugeot 307 WRC, and has promised to
push hard again tomorrow. An improved tyre choice for the second loop of
stages today allowed him to set a fastest time, as well as three
second-fastest times. His team mate Markko Martin, who climbed up to fifth
by midday, dropped a place in the afternoon and ends leg one sixth
overnight.
Marcus Gronhölm/Timo Rautiainen: "I cannot really be happy with today - I
hoped to fight for the lead here and although we set some quick times that
has not really happened. I can definitely think of some things we can do to
improve the car, and I hope that will help our progress tomorrow. There is
still a long way to go and this is a rally that I like so let's see what is
possible. I've certainly been pushing hard today and I don't intend to give
up easily."
Markko Martin/Michael Park: "Today has been extremely tough. Our road
position has meant that we've had to deal with some very rough surface
conditions and massive ruts. The afternoon's loop of stages, used for the
second time, was really hard work. On the positive side, we've had no
problems with the car and we've got every chance of improving our position
over the remaining two legs."
Skoda
The Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team endured a difficult opening day of
Rally Argentina, round nine of the World Rally Championship. After ending
last night's superspecial stages in ninth place Jani Paasonen was forced to
retire on SS5 and will not continue in the event. Team mate Armin Schwarz
broke a damper mount on this afternoon's stages and ended the opening leg in
20th place.
Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha: "The overnight rain meant that a watersplash on
SS6 was deeper than usual and the water cut the engine. But my biggest
problem came just 4kms into SS7 when part of a damper mount broke. We had to
limp through all four stages this afternoon. We are lucky to be here at all
this evening."
Jani Paasonen/Jani Vainikka: "Everything was going fine until about 8kms
from the end of SS5. On a long fifth gear left hand bend there were some
rocks inside and when I hit them the wheel broke sideways. We stopped
straight away as it was obvious we couldn't continue."
Mitsubishi:
The Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports WRC crew of Harri Rovanpera and Risto
Pietilainen finished the opening leg of Rally Argentina, the ninth round of
the FIA World Rally Championship, in a fighting fifth position.
Team-mates Gigi Galli and Guido D'Amore were running well until their
challenge was blighted with broken suspension and then a transmission
problem early this morning.
Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen: "I'm quite okay with the way things have
been today. This morning's spin was maybe my first in about five years; I
couldn't believe it! This afternoon I've not been so happy with the damper
settings, especially in the bumpy sections where we keep ending up off line.
Otherwise, everything has been good and the tire choices were quite right
for the conditions. It's good to be fighting and hopefully we can carry on
like this tomorrow."
Gigi Galli/Guido D'Amore: "About 12 kilometers into stage five the front
right suspension broke. We managed to make repairs and get going again, but
then after about one kilometer the front drive- shaft broke and the team
decided it was better for us to stop rather than cause more damage. Before
that everything had been going well and we were setting some good stage
times so I'm confident we can continue like this."
__________________________________________________________________
Remaining Event Timetable
Saturday 16 July: Leg 2 Villa Carlos Paz - Villa Carlos Paz
Serv D Pro-Racing (10 mins) 06.52
SS11 Santa Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 1 21.41km 09.00
SS12 Las Bajadas - Villa del Dique 16.35km 09.53
SS13 Amboy - Santa Monica 20.29km 10.39
SS14 Santa Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 2 21.41km 11.59
Serv E Pro-Racing (30 mins) 14.19
SS15 Carlos Paz - Cabalango 2 14.51km 15.14
SS16 Tanti - Cosquìn 9.43km 15.47
SS17 Valle Hermoso - Casa Grande 2 10.95km 16.40
Serv F Pro-Racing (flexi 45 mins) 17.43
Finish Pro-Racing 18.28
Sunday 17 July: Leg 3 Villa Carlos Paz - Villa Carlos Paz
Serv G Pro-Racing (10 mins) 07.07
SS18 El Condor - Copina 1 16.82km 08.30
SS19 Mina Clavero - Giulio Cèsare 24.45km 10.10
SS20 El Condor - Copina 2 16.82km 10.57
Serv H Pro-Racing (20 mins) 12.07
SS21 Complejo Pro-Racing 3.02km 13.05
SS22 Complejo Pro-Racing 3.02km
Finish Pro-Racing 13.23
__________________________________________________________________
In this issue:
- Leaderboard after Leg One
- Leg One News
- Remaining Event Timetable
Leaderboard after Leg One:
1 LOEB/ELENA CITROEN TOTAL 1:54:40.6
2 SOLBERG/MILLS SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM +00:31.3
3 GRÖNHOLM/RAUTIAINEN MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL +00:44.6
4 GARDEMEISTER/HONKANEN BP FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM +02:00.1
5 ROVANPERA/PIETILAINEN MITSUBISHI MOTORS MOTOR SPORTS +02:08.2
6 MARTIN/PARK MARLBORO PEUGEOT TOTAL +02:31.8
7 DUVAL/SMEETS CITROEN TOTAL +03:34.9
8 STOHL/MINOR Citroën Xsara WRC +03:40.4
9 ATKINSON/McNEAL SUBARU WORLD RALLY TEAM +04:10.8
10 PONS/DEL BARRIO XSARA WRC +05:08.3
Leg One News
Petter Solberg (Subaru) led after last night's super special stages and
maintained a narrow advantage over the opening two tests this morning. But
then Sebastien Loeb (Citroen) moved ahead, stretching his lead with fastest
time over the final three stages to end the leg 31.3sec ahead of the
Norwegian. Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot) was a lonely third all day, the Finn
frustrated at not being able to match the pace of his rivals ahead. Harri
Rovanperä (Mitsubishi) held fourth early on but a spin and a faulty
handbrake cost two places. However, he moved ahead of Markko Märtin
(Peugeot) this afternoon to consolidate fifth. Gigi Galli (Mitsubishi) set
a strong pace and held fourth until retiring on the fifth stage. He
initially stopped with broken front right suspension but made repairs and
continued. However, the car then lost drive to one wheel and he retired.
Jani Paasonen (Skoda) also retired after hitting a rock in the same stage
and breaking his car's front left suspension. He will not re-start
tomorrow. Team-mate Armin Schwarz lies 20th after limping through the
afternoon stages with a broken damper mount.
Citroen
It's been full steam ahead for Sébastien Loeb, Daniel Elena and Citroën
throughout the long opening leg of the 2005 Rally Argentina which has seen
them emerge in front. François Duval and Sven Smeets profited from the day
to get progressively back into the groove and an encouraging 2nd fastest
time in the final stage enabled them to conclude the leg in 7th position
overall.
Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena: "Being first on the road wasn't a problem. I
think the conditions were pretty much the same for the first three or four
cars. The 8-compound Michelin BTO tyre we are using here for the first time
was perfect. I was able to push hard and I think Petter was pushing hard
too."
Francois Duval/Sven Smeets: This event, which marks my return and on which
it is so easy to make a mistake, is an important rally for my career. It
isn't exactly a pressure-free outing, but Sven and I did well. We both know
that it won't be any easier tomorrow, but our objective will be the same: to
reach the finish!"
Subaru
Petter Solberg holds second place on Rally Argentina tonight after a furious
day of competition on the gravel roads of the Cordobese Sierras.
Solberg's Subaru Impreza WRC2005 ran faultlessly all day and enabled the
Norwegian to set the fastest time on two of the Leg's special stages, and
smash the previous stage record time on the Carlos Paz - Cabalango test.
Subaru's new signing for 2005, Chris Atkinson had a successful and
trouble-free day on his first-ever attempt at the Rally Argentina.
Petter Solberg/Phil Mills: "I'm pleased with our performance on the stages
today. The Pirelli tyres and the car have been working well. In the
afternoon, when the stages were rougher, we tried a slightly different
set-up, which didn't turn out as good as that in the morning. This afternoon
we also maybe lost some time with a harder tyre than the morning, but we
know where to go, and what to do for tomorrow. We have not been taking any
chances and we are not giving up on getting back on top again."
Chris Atkinson/Glen MacNeall: "Today was not bad for us and I am happy where
we are. The roads were rougher than we hoped, but our pace has still been
good. I had a bit of a moment in the last stage today when I took a 200kph
jump on slightly the wrong line and landed in the gutter - I was a bit more
cautious through the rest of that stage! There's still two long days to go
and the stages are faster, and hopefully smoother. I want to stick with
Duval and those other drivers who have much more experience."
Ford
BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Toni Gardemeister and Jakke Honkanen and
team-mates Roman Kresta and Jan Mozný produced strong performances on
today's opening leg of Rally Argentina. Gardemeister's consistent pace
earned fourth in his Ford Focus RS World Rally Car while Kresta's risk-free
strategy on his Argentine debut was rewarded with 11th in a similar car.
Toni Gardemeister/Jakke Honkanen: "It wasn't an easy morning. I pushed hard
but the times weren't as good as I hoped. I hit a stone on stage four and
bent a steering arm but that wasn't a big problem. However, I was lucky on
the next stage when I almost slid off the road on a fifth gear corner. I
slid wide several times. It was quite muddy in places after last night's
rain but the roads dried in the strong wind as the day went on.
Roman Kresta/Jan Mozny: "Our tyre choice this morning was good but this
afternoon I made a mistake and chose rubber that was too soft. Because I've
not driven here before I didn't know what the best choice would be. I had a
good feeling with the Focus all day and it's a shame I couldn't make the
most of that this afternoon because of my tyre choice. I've driven
carefully because it's a difficult rally for a newcomer. The roads have a
hard base beneath the gravel so they were slippery this morning and some
parts were rough and rutted on the repeat run this afternoon. Tomorrow
morning's stages are much faster so I will try to drive flat out."
Peugeot
Marcus Gronholm has fought like a lion throughout the opening leg of the
Rally Argentina, which made up almost 50% of the total competitive distance.
Marcus finishes the leg third in his Peugeot 307 WRC, and has promised to
push hard again tomorrow. An improved tyre choice for the second loop of
stages today allowed him to set a fastest time, as well as three
second-fastest times. His team mate Markko Martin, who climbed up to fifth
by midday, dropped a place in the afternoon and ends leg one sixth
overnight.
Marcus Gronhölm/Timo Rautiainen: "I cannot really be happy with today - I
hoped to fight for the lead here and although we set some quick times that
has not really happened. I can definitely think of some things we can do to
improve the car, and I hope that will help our progress tomorrow. There is
still a long way to go and this is a rally that I like so let's see what is
possible. I've certainly been pushing hard today and I don't intend to give
up easily."
Markko Martin/Michael Park: "Today has been extremely tough. Our road
position has meant that we've had to deal with some very rough surface
conditions and massive ruts. The afternoon's loop of stages, used for the
second time, was really hard work. On the positive side, we've had no
problems with the car and we've got every chance of improving our position
over the remaining two legs."
Skoda
The Skoda Motorsport World Rally Team endured a difficult opening day of
Rally Argentina, round nine of the World Rally Championship. After ending
last night's superspecial stages in ninth place Jani Paasonen was forced to
retire on SS5 and will not continue in the event. Team mate Armin Schwarz
broke a damper mount on this afternoon's stages and ended the opening leg in
20th place.
Armin Schwarz/Klaus Wicha: "The overnight rain meant that a watersplash on
SS6 was deeper than usual and the water cut the engine. But my biggest
problem came just 4kms into SS7 when part of a damper mount broke. We had to
limp through all four stages this afternoon. We are lucky to be here at all
this evening."
Jani Paasonen/Jani Vainikka: "Everything was going fine until about 8kms
from the end of SS5. On a long fifth gear left hand bend there were some
rocks inside and when I hit them the wheel broke sideways. We stopped
straight away as it was obvious we couldn't continue."
Mitsubishi:
The Mitsubishi Motors Motor Sports WRC crew of Harri Rovanpera and Risto
Pietilainen finished the opening leg of Rally Argentina, the ninth round of
the FIA World Rally Championship, in a fighting fifth position.
Team-mates Gigi Galli and Guido D'Amore were running well until their
challenge was blighted with broken suspension and then a transmission
problem early this morning.
Harri Rovanpera/Risto Pietilainen: "I'm quite okay with the way things have
been today. This morning's spin was maybe my first in about five years; I
couldn't believe it! This afternoon I've not been so happy with the damper
settings, especially in the bumpy sections where we keep ending up off line.
Otherwise, everything has been good and the tire choices were quite right
for the conditions. It's good to be fighting and hopefully we can carry on
like this tomorrow."
Gigi Galli/Guido D'Amore: "About 12 kilometers into stage five the front
right suspension broke. We managed to make repairs and get going again, but
then after about one kilometer the front drive- shaft broke and the team
decided it was better for us to stop rather than cause more damage. Before
that everything had been going well and we were setting some good stage
times so I'm confident we can continue like this."
__________________________________________________________________
Remaining Event Timetable
Saturday 16 July: Leg 2 Villa Carlos Paz - Villa Carlos Paz
Serv D Pro-Racing (10 mins) 06.52
SS11 Santa Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 1 21.41km 09.00
SS12 Las Bajadas - Villa del Dique 16.35km 09.53
SS13 Amboy - Santa Monica 20.29km 10.39
SS14 Santa Rosa de Calamuchita - San Agustin 2 21.41km 11.59
Serv E Pro-Racing (30 mins) 14.19
SS15 Carlos Paz - Cabalango 2 14.51km 15.14
SS16 Tanti - Cosquìn 9.43km 15.47
SS17 Valle Hermoso - Casa Grande 2 10.95km 16.40
Serv F Pro-Racing (flexi 45 mins) 17.43
Finish Pro-Racing 18.28
Sunday 17 July: Leg 3 Villa Carlos Paz - Villa Carlos Paz
Serv G Pro-Racing (10 mins) 07.07
SS18 El Condor - Copina 1 16.82km 08.30
SS19 Mina Clavero - Giulio Cèsare 24.45km 10.10
SS20 El Condor - Copina 2 16.82km 10.57
Serv H Pro-Racing (20 mins) 12.07
SS21 Complejo Pro-Racing 3.02km 13.05
SS22 Complejo Pro-Racing 3.02km
Finish Pro-Racing 13.23
__________________________________________________________________
