CYPRUS RALLY - AFTER STAGE 4
Holidaymakers and rally fans alike packed the seafront in Lemesos last night to view the start ceremony for this 12th round of the FIA World Rally Championship. This morning the action moved north of the holiday resort into the Troodos Mountains, where today's competition is based. Drivers tackle two identical loops of four rough gravel speed tests, covering 111.48km.
Under clear skies and hot sunshine, BP-Ford World Rally Team drivers Marcus Grönholm and Timo Rautiainen made a superb start by winning three of the opening four special stages to return to the Lemesos service park with a 17.9sec lead over Sébastien Loeb. Their Focus RS World Rally Car was fastest over the opening 8.09km Xyliatos - Kapouras test by 2.2sec and was then 4.0sec faster than the Frenchman through the 10.17km Kapouras - Asinou. The Finns completed a hat-trick of wins by beating Loeb by 1.9sec in the 25.61km Asinou - Nikitari and then blasted through the wider and more flowing 11.87km test from Kato Amiantos to Platres 9.8sec quicker than Loeb to more than double their advantage.
"There was a lot of loose gravel on the roads and while it was better to run second on the road than first, there was little difference," said 38-year-old Grönholm. "There wasn't much of a clean line from Seb's car, just in the areas where he accelerated. The roads seem looser than in previous years after regrading. In the third stage the engine temperature rose a little and I think the car lost some power, but I was still fastest so maybe it was in my mind! I prefer these stages when they are not so rough, like this morning, but they will be very rocky this afternoon."
BP-Ford team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen returned to Lemesos in third in their similar BP Ultimate and Castrol-branded Focus RS. A consistent pace through the opening three tight and twisty tests allowed Hirvonen to settle into fourth. However, the 26-year-old Finn felt more at home on the faster final stage of the loop to set third quickest time and climb to third.
"I've struggled a bit because I'm either driving too fast or too slow. The stages were slippery, which surprised me, so I'll make a few set-up changes in service. I almost had a big spin in the first stage after braking too late and I can't afford that. It was only then I realised how slippery it was. I need to be neater and the time loss is more to do with my driving than anything else," said Hirvonen.
Leaderboard after stage 4 of 22
1. M Grönholm/T Rautiainen FIN Ford Focus RS 53min 24.7sec
2. S Loeb/D Elena F Citroen Xsara 53min 42.6sec
3. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 54min 09.2sec
4. T Gardemeister/J Honkanen FIN Citroen Xsara 54min 14.2sec
5. M Stohl/I Minor A Peugeot 307 54min 21.3sec
6. C Atkinson/G MacNeall AUS Subaru Impreza 54min 31.2sec
7. P Solberg/P Mills N Subaru Impreza 54min 31.4sec
8. D Sordo/M Marti E Citroen Xsara 54min 39.0sec
9. H Solberg/C Menkerud N Peugeot 307 54min 44.0sec
10 M Wilson/M Orr GB Ford Focus RS 55min 15.9sec
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Rick (Rokie)
rtdring@yahoo.com
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