info thanks to Ateco.. 
:citplak:
Citroen has thrown down the gauntlet to the other teams in the 2004 World
Rally Championship with an emphatic win by Sebastien Loeb in the opening
round of the season, the Monte Carlo Rally, by steering his Citroen Xsara
WRC to the winner's podium with more than a minute to spare.
The talented French driver took the lead on day one, stamped his domination
on the event on day two by winning every stage, and the then cruised home
to victory on day three leaving all the other teams and drivers in his
wake. It was a repeat of his win in one of the world's most famous
motorsport events, when he lead Citroen to a 1-2-3 win last year, Citroen's
first step to winning the 2003 World Rally Championship crown for
manufacturers.
Loeb set his mark on this year's event with a very savvy tyre choice early
in the event, which saw other drivers struggle when they chose the wrong
tyres. The final day was no different, even though Loeb was able to relax
on the final stages, including "Sospel-La Bollène" via the mythical Turini
Pass, and "Lantosque-Lucéram" by the St Roch Pass. Having built up a solid
lead, Sébastien Loeb was able to take things relatively cautiously:
"The best option was the dry-weather tyre, which we chose," he said at the
finish. "That meant that we had to negotiate, without making any mistakes,
the slippery five-kilometre section around the Turini Pass, as well as the
patches of ice on the St Roch Pass. Most of this had melted since our
gravel crews went through, but I was still careful. The second pass through
was less tricky, so the situation was easier to manage. I have a special
feeling for this event. This rally is legendary, and to win it for a second
time gets our season off to the best start possible! "
Monte Carlo born Daniel Elena, Seb's co-driver, joked: "I am unbeatable on
home ground! But, being serious for a moment, I have an amazing feeling of
joy, quite a special feeling. This win has that little something extra,
just like when Seb won his first WRC event in Germany."
Guy Fréquelin was particularly pleased with the way this success was
delivered in such a mature and well paced manner by the still young Loeb.
"Sébastien started off on Friday morning, watching the pace set by his
rivals, taking care not to make any mistakes. He increased the pace in the
evening, to take the lead," explained Fréquelin. "Yesterday he pushed hard,
set the fastest time in every stage, most notably in the fog, and built up
a good margin. Today, he managed his lead safely, with almost clockwork
consistency. He has the perfect feel for such a difficult event. It is no
surprise that he has done so well here over the last three years. The way
he is going, I'm convinced he will be able to beat Tommi Mäkinen's wins
record here of four consecutive victories."
Just as satisfied, Claude Satinet, General Director of Automobiles Citroën,
explained the first lessons of the season.
"This rally shows what we had expected: the drivers' and manufacturers'
Championships will be very open, and consistency will be one of the most
important factors. I am happy and proud by what Sébastien and our team have
achieved here. To win in Monte Carlo is the very best way to start off the
season. This rally has an added, symbolic, value. It is excellent for
Citroën to win it, both for the image of our brand, and for the motivation
of all those who work for it."
Michelin, Magneti-Marelli, Kinetic, OZ, AIS and Citroën Financement are the
partners of the Citroën-Total team in the World Rally Championship.
The rally statistics
Best time in the special stages
Day 1. SS1 : cancelled - SS2 : Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot 307) - SS3 : Markko
Märtin (Ford Focus) - SS4 : Sébastien Loeb (Citroën Xsara) - SS5 : M.
Grönholm - SS6 : S. Loeb.
Day 2. SS7 : neutralised/fixed time - SS8 and 9 : S. Loeb - SS10 :
neutralised - SS11 : S.Loeb.
Day 3. SS12 : M. Märtin - SS13 : P. Solberg (Subaru Impreza) - SS14 : M.
Märtin - SS15 : M. Grönholm.
Best performances
S. Loeb, 5 fastest times - M. Grönholm, 3 - M. Märtin, 3 - P. Solberg, 1.
Successive Leaders
SS2 to 5 : M. Grönholm - SS6 to 15 : S. Loeb.
Final Classification of the 72nd Monte Carlo Rally
1. S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën Xsara) 4 h
12 min 03 s
2. M. Märtin/M.Park (Ford Focus) + 1
min 12.6 s
3. F. Duval/S. Prevot (Ford Focus) + 1
min 19.6 s
4. M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Peugeot 307) + 1
min 26.8 s
5. F. Loix/S. Smeets (Peugeot 307) + 8
min 16.9 s
6. G. Panizzi/H. Panizzi (Mitsubishi Lancer)
+ 10 min 11.6 s
7. P. Solberg/Ph. Mills (Subaru Impreza) +
10 min 42.2 s
8. O. Burri/J-Ph. Patthey (Subaru Impreza) +
17 min 49.1 s
9. J. Beres/P. Stary (Hyundai Accent) +
19 min 43.1 s
10. N. Bernardi/D. Giraudet (Renault Clio) +
23 min 38.1 s
World Championship - Manufacturers'
1. Ford, 14 points - 2. Citroën, 10 pts - 3. Peugeot, 9 pts - 4.
Mitsubishi, 3 pts - 5. Subaru, 2 pts.
World Championship -Drivers'
1. S. Loeb, 10 points - 2. M. Märtin, 8 pts - 3. F. Duval, 6 pts - 4. M.
Grönholm, 5 pts - 5. F. Loix, 4 pts - 6. G. Panizzi, 3 pts - 7. P. Solberg,
2 pts - 8. O. Burri, 1 pt.
:citplak: Citroen has thrown down the gauntlet to the other teams in the 2004 World
Rally Championship with an emphatic win by Sebastien Loeb in the opening
round of the season, the Monte Carlo Rally, by steering his Citroen Xsara
WRC to the winner's podium with more than a minute to spare.
The talented French driver took the lead on day one, stamped his domination
on the event on day two by winning every stage, and the then cruised home
to victory on day three leaving all the other teams and drivers in his
wake. It was a repeat of his win in one of the world's most famous
motorsport events, when he lead Citroen to a 1-2-3 win last year, Citroen's
first step to winning the 2003 World Rally Championship crown for
manufacturers.
Loeb set his mark on this year's event with a very savvy tyre choice early
in the event, which saw other drivers struggle when they chose the wrong
tyres. The final day was no different, even though Loeb was able to relax
on the final stages, including "Sospel-La Bollène" via the mythical Turini
Pass, and "Lantosque-Lucéram" by the St Roch Pass. Having built up a solid
lead, Sébastien Loeb was able to take things relatively cautiously:
"The best option was the dry-weather tyre, which we chose," he said at the
finish. "That meant that we had to negotiate, without making any mistakes,
the slippery five-kilometre section around the Turini Pass, as well as the
patches of ice on the St Roch Pass. Most of this had melted since our
gravel crews went through, but I was still careful. The second pass through
was less tricky, so the situation was easier to manage. I have a special
feeling for this event. This rally is legendary, and to win it for a second
time gets our season off to the best start possible! "
Monte Carlo born Daniel Elena, Seb's co-driver, joked: "I am unbeatable on
home ground! But, being serious for a moment, I have an amazing feeling of
joy, quite a special feeling. This win has that little something extra,
just like when Seb won his first WRC event in Germany."
Guy Fréquelin was particularly pleased with the way this success was
delivered in such a mature and well paced manner by the still young Loeb.
"Sébastien started off on Friday morning, watching the pace set by his
rivals, taking care not to make any mistakes. He increased the pace in the
evening, to take the lead," explained Fréquelin. "Yesterday he pushed hard,
set the fastest time in every stage, most notably in the fog, and built up
a good margin. Today, he managed his lead safely, with almost clockwork
consistency. He has the perfect feel for such a difficult event. It is no
surprise that he has done so well here over the last three years. The way
he is going, I'm convinced he will be able to beat Tommi Mäkinen's wins
record here of four consecutive victories."
Just as satisfied, Claude Satinet, General Director of Automobiles Citroën,
explained the first lessons of the season.
"This rally shows what we had expected: the drivers' and manufacturers'
Championships will be very open, and consistency will be one of the most
important factors. I am happy and proud by what Sébastien and our team have
achieved here. To win in Monte Carlo is the very best way to start off the
season. This rally has an added, symbolic, value. It is excellent for
Citroën to win it, both for the image of our brand, and for the motivation
of all those who work for it."
Michelin, Magneti-Marelli, Kinetic, OZ, AIS and Citroën Financement are the
partners of the Citroën-Total team in the World Rally Championship.
The rally statistics
Best time in the special stages
Day 1. SS1 : cancelled - SS2 : Marcus Grönholm (Peugeot 307) - SS3 : Markko
Märtin (Ford Focus) - SS4 : Sébastien Loeb (Citroën Xsara) - SS5 : M.
Grönholm - SS6 : S. Loeb.
Day 2. SS7 : neutralised/fixed time - SS8 and 9 : S. Loeb - SS10 :
neutralised - SS11 : S.Loeb.
Day 3. SS12 : M. Märtin - SS13 : P. Solberg (Subaru Impreza) - SS14 : M.
Märtin - SS15 : M. Grönholm.
Best performances
S. Loeb, 5 fastest times - M. Grönholm, 3 - M. Märtin, 3 - P. Solberg, 1.
Successive Leaders
SS2 to 5 : M. Grönholm - SS6 to 15 : S. Loeb.
Final Classification of the 72nd Monte Carlo Rally
1. S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën Xsara) 4 h
12 min 03 s
2. M. Märtin/M.Park (Ford Focus) + 1
min 12.6 s
3. F. Duval/S. Prevot (Ford Focus) + 1
min 19.6 s
4. M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Peugeot 307) + 1
min 26.8 s
5. F. Loix/S. Smeets (Peugeot 307) + 8
min 16.9 s
6. G. Panizzi/H. Panizzi (Mitsubishi Lancer)
+ 10 min 11.6 s
7. P. Solberg/Ph. Mills (Subaru Impreza) +
10 min 42.2 s
8. O. Burri/J-Ph. Patthey (Subaru Impreza) +
17 min 49.1 s
9. J. Beres/P. Stary (Hyundai Accent) +
19 min 43.1 s
10. N. Bernardi/D. Giraudet (Renault Clio) +
23 min 38.1 s
World Championship - Manufacturers'
1. Ford, 14 points - 2. Citroën, 10 pts - 3. Peugeot, 9 pts - 4.
Mitsubishi, 3 pts - 5. Subaru, 2 pts.
World Championship -Drivers'
1. S. Loeb, 10 points - 2. M. Märtin, 8 pts - 3. F. Duval, 6 pts - 4. M.
Grönholm, 5 pts - 5. F. Loix, 4 pts - 6. G. Panizzi, 3 pts - 7. P. Solberg,
2 pts - 8. O. Burri, 1 pt.