Event Bulletin
22 Jun. 2003
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 Cyprus Rally
20 to 22 Jun. 2003
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Itinerary | |
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| Entry List | |||
| Course Map | |||
| Results | |||
| Pre Release | |||
| Leg1 Report | |||
| Leg2 Report | |||
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Leg3 Report | ||
| Gallery | |||
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PCWRC |
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Leg3 Report
Event Bulletin 22 Jun. 2003 |
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Starters18 of the original 51 competitors left Limassol parc ferme at 0730hrs this morning Route The shortest of the event, Leg 3 comprised 82.86 competitive kilometres and six stages (three repeated). Stages were based northeast of the service park in Limassol Weather Conditions remained hot and sunny all day, except for a localised rain shower during the last group of stages. Air temperatures started at 21ºC this morning, rising to 34ºC by mid-afternoon. Stages were rough and dusty Summary An excellent day for the 555 Subaru World Rally Team. Contesting one of the toughest events in the WRC calendar, Subaru driver Petter Solberg delivered a faultless performance at the wheel of his Impreza WRC2003 to maintain his overnight lead and claim the second victory of his WRC career. Winning by an incredible 4 minutes 14 seconds, the 28-year-old and his co-driver Phil Mills clinched five of the dayfs six stage wins and collected ten points in both the Driversf and Manufacturersf Championships. Their victory marks an impressive 36th WRC win for Japanese manufacturer Subaru. Stage Reports 
SS13 0853hrs Vavatsinia - Mandra Kambiou 1 (19.00km)Setting out to clinch the second WRC victory of his career, Subaru's Petter Solberg attacked from the outset today. Setting another stage win, Subaru's eighth of the event, the Norwegian edged further into the lead, at the expense of Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera who continued to push setting the second fastest time. With the duo locked in their own battle for the top spot, they finished the uphill Vavatsinia test nearly fifteen seconds quicker than the rest of the field. Citroen's McRae was third fastest, with team-mates Loeb fourth and Sainz fifth. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 17:00.3 SS14 0936hrs Macheras - Agioi Vavatsinias 1 (12.94km) Run last year as SS15, the short Macheras gravel stage is renowned for the big boulders and rocks, which line the side of the route. Twisting through stage's steep uphill climb and medium fast downhill section, Petter Solberg kept his Impreza well positioned in the middle of the road and completed the test 8.1 seconds faster than his rivals to take another stage win and consolidate his overall lead. At the finish he had increased his advantage to well over half a minute. Rovanpera was second quickest, with the Citroen trio of McRae, Loeb and Sainz again taking the next three positions. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 11:26.5 SS15 1019hrs Kellaki - Foinikaria 1 (9.49km) Despite cutting one of the stage's many tightening right-hand corners too tightly and bending the steering on his Impreza, Petter Solberg was again fastest, this time by a margin of 9.4 seconds. At the finish, his lead had increased to 47.6 seconds with just 41.43 competitive kilometres remaining. A good run from Sainz saw the Spaniard finish second fastest, with Rovanpera third, McRae fourth and Ford's Mikko Hirvonen fifth. Lying sixth overall, the young Focus driver was looking good for his first ever points finish. Loeb reported electronic problems and managed only eighth fastest, but with a 27.3 second gap remaining between him and team-mate McRae at the finish, he remained third overall. Having lost 27.6 seconds through the test, the Frenchman would have been glad to return to Limassol for the scheduled service. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 8:29.2 
SS16 1237hrs Vavatsinia - Mandra Kambiou 2 (19.00km)As all eyes were on the tense battle for the top spot between Subaru's Solberg and Peugeot's Rovanpera, disaster struck for the French team. Collecting a broken front left drive shaft on his 206 early on in the test, the Finn fell off the pace, dropped over a minute and a half and ended any chance of catching stage winner and overall leader Solberg. At the finish 2 minutes 12.7 seconds separated the pair. With the battling duo having steadily pulled away from the rest of the field in the preceding stages, the Finn maintained a 2 minute cushion over third-placed Sebastien Loeb, but with no scheduled service before the remaining two stages, his position began to look precarious. Citroen continued their steady run with Sainz finishing second fastest, and McRae and Loeb tying in third. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 16:45.3 SS17 1320hrs Macheras - Agioi Vavatsinias 2 (12.94km) With the pressure off, rally leader Petter Solberg eased off the pace for the second pass through the narrow and rutted Macheras test and cruised through to finish fourth fastest and maintain his overall lead. Rovanpera, his closest challenger overall, was seventh fastest. Having removed the failed front left drive shaft from his Peugeot before the start, the Finn contested the stage with rear wheel drive only on his 206, and dropped a further 58.9 seconds. At the finish he remained 1 minute 6.6 seconds ahead of third-placed Loeb in the overall standings, but with 9.49km left to run and the Finn obviously struggling, the Frenchman had the coveted silver position well within in his sights. Fastest Time: Sainz (Citroen) 11:32.8 
SS18 1403hrs Kellaki - Foinikaria 2 (9.49km)Taking half a second off his previous run through the mountain hugging Kellaki test, Subaru's Petter Solberg didn't miss a beat through the final test and finished 1.6 seconds ahead of the field to take his seventh stage win of the event, Subaru's eleventh, and his second ever WRC victory. Still running with rear wheel only on his Peugeot Harri Rovanpera, held off a late challenge by Sebastien Loeb to take second, albeit by just 2.8 seconds, while Loeb was third quickest to maintain the same position overall. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 8:28.7 Team Quotes David Lapworth, 555 Subaru World Rally Team Principal "We've worked very hard for twelve months now and have focused on being strong on this type of event. The competition has been very tough, but we've been able to combine the reliability and speed of the car, and Petter's and Phil's performance has been one of the coolest and calculated that I can remember. 
We've brought the car forward now and have got more things planned for the second half of the season. We feel very well prepared." Petter Solberg "This is fantastic for the team, Subaru and Pirelli. I have really enjoyed the whole rally. We know that we can win on these rough and tough stages and everybody's been working so hard - we've had the perfect weekend. I would like to thank everyone involved in this victory." |
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Next Event Round eight of the 2003 World Rally Championship starts just over four weeks time, when teams travel to Germany for the second WRC Rally Deutschland. An all-asphalt event, there is a marked contrast between the event's three Legs. While Leg 1 takes competitors through the narrow, twisty vineyard roads in the Mosel Valley, Leg 2, run in rough the Baumholder military training area, is more similar to a gravel event, with the final Leg comprising a series of very quick stages. Starting from the city of Trier on 25 July, the event includes 23 stages and 394.72 competitive kilometres. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp at 1545hrs on 27 July. |
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