SWEDISH RALLY - NEWS AFTER STAGE 16 OF 19
Fifty-nine of the original 63 starters left Hagfors this morning for the final leg of this second round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Fifteen started under SupeRally regulations after retiring earlier in the event. Ahead of them all lay two identical loops of three speed tests, covering 90.18km, split by service in Hagfors before the journey back to Karlstad for the finish ceremony.
About 5cm of snow fell in Värmland last night, providing a fresh white blanket over the route. It made conditions difficult for BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, who were first to tackle today's speed tests. Their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car acted as an unwilling snow plough, sweeping the loose snow clear to leave a cleaner line for those behind.
But it made little difference to overnight leaders Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen who were 15th in the running order and benefited from the clearing work of those ahead. The Finns re-started with a 25.1sec advantage and were just 0.3sec behind Loeb on the opening 10.49km Lesjöfors test. The Frenchman clawed back another 1.5sec in the 23.35km Rämmen but then recovered 9.0sec in the 11.25km Malta to leave the margin at 14.4sec as the drivers arrived in Hagfors for service.
"Hydraulic oil began to leak onto the windscreen midway through the last stage," said Grönholm. "I had to use the manual gearchange system and had no active differential. I carried on until the end of the stage but lost a lot of time." Team director Malcolm Wilson said a filter had exploded which allowed all the hydraulic oil to instantly pour onto the windscreen. The team replaced the filter and the Focus RS left service restored to health.
Hirvonen climbed back into the manufacturer points after Mattias Ekström crashed on the opening stage and the BP-Ford driver is enjoying a battle with Petter Solberg. The two are split by 6.6sec, with Hirvonen having moved up to 14th. "There was quite a lot of snow but that will have gone for the second pass through the stages and I'm sure there will be gravel and ruts next time through," he said. "It's nice to be first on the road because I've been able to pick my own driving line and the roads are flowing. I'm cleaning the stages for everyone else but it's not so bad. It's enjoyable to fight with Petter. It provides motivation and I want to win this battle but I'm not taking risks."
Leaderboard after stage 16 of 19
1. M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 45min 35.9sec
2. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 2hr 45min 50.3sec
3. D Carlsson/B Holmstrand S Mitsubishi Lancer 2hr 48min 14.1sec
4. G Galli/G Bernacchini I Mitsubishi Lancer 2hr 48min 14.8sec
5. J Tuohino/R Pietilainen FIN Citroen Xsara 2hr 49min 42.5sec
6. T Rådström/J Skallman S Subaru Impreza 2hr 50min 28.6sec
7. K Katajamäki/T Alane FIN Ford Focus RS 2hr 52min 06.4sec
8. X Pons/C Del Barrio E Citroen Xsara 2hr 53min 00.8sec
9. J Joge/M Andersson S Peugeot 206 2hr 53min 33.6sec
10 H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 2hr 54min 07.6sec
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Rick (Rokie)
rtdring@yahoo.com
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