Event Bulletin
27 July 2003
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 Rallye Deutschland
25 to 27 July 2003
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Itinerary | |
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Leg3 Report
Event Bulletin 27 July 2003 |
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Starters56 of the original 79 competitors left Trier parc ferme at 0500hrs this morning Route The shortest of the event, Leg 3 comprised 101.54 competitive kilometres and six stages (a loop of three repeated). Stages were based north and east of the service park in Bostalsee, in the vineyards of Mosel and the region of Saarland Weather Following a dry start, heavy rain showers fell intermittently throughout the day. Air temperatures started at 19ºC this morning, rising to 26ºC by mid-afternoon. Stages were damp, with some loose gravel 555 Subaru World Rally Team Summary Feeling 100 per cent better, 555 Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg put in a spirited performance at the wheel of his Subaru Impreza WRC 2003 and set a string of consistently good times to move up the overall leaderboard. He ended the event in eighth place, securing two Manufacturers' points for Subaru and another in the Drivers' championship. Stage Reports SS17 0728hrs Schönes Moselland 1 (15.29km) As Sebastien Loeb and Marcus Gronholm resumed their battle for the overall lead on the first run through the narrow Schones Moselland, there were difficulties for Gronholm. Hitting a rock mid-test, the Finn sustained damage to his Peugeot's wheel, rear suspension, and knocked his steering out of line. Although he completed the test, dropping only 7.4 seconds to event leader Loeb, with two more stages to run before the next scheduled service, he was likely to lose more time before vital repair work could be carried out. Colin McRae took the stage win, with Loeb second and Richard Burns third. Taking crews through the picturesque Mosel wine region and past a river, the test included a series of hidden crests and junctions, before finishing with a climb through the region's vineyards. After the finish, crews moved directly to the start of SS18. Fastest Time: McRae (Citroen) 9:03.6 
SS18 0758hrs Moselwein 1 (16.55km)While there was no sign of the forecast rain, there were more problems for some of the leading WRC crews on the smooth Moselwein test. Gronholm lost another 10 seconds as he battled with his damaged 206, while Markko Martin's Ford Focus lost front wheel drive mid-test due to broken transmission. The incident cost the Estonian 12 vital seconds and, with it, overall third. A good run for Subaru driver Petter Solberg. Despite over shooting a junction, the Norwegian was fourth fastest, enough to move him up to ninth overall, 2.8 seconds behind Panizzi in overall eighth. With the Frenchman continuing to be dogged by the brake problems that had persisted since the opening leg and a broken shock absorber, Solberg ended the test well poised to snatch the final points position. Fastest Time: McRae (Citroen) 10:04.5 SS19 0916hrs St.Wenderler Land 1 (18.93km) As on yesterday's SS11, intermittent rain showers shook the overall leaderboard. Contesting the stage on slicks and running further down the order, Citroen drivers McRae and Loeb, were both caught in a torrential downpour and forced to slow. Finishing the test 25 seconds behind the leaders after also suffering a spin, McRae lost overall third, allowing Burns to seize back the coveted podium position. With just 8.9 seconds separating the pair at the finish, there looked set to be a battle of the Brits in the remaining three stages. Still hampered by their respective mechanical problems, Martin, Gronholm and Panizzi all lost further time and would have been glad to make it back to the proceeding scheduled service at Bostalsee. Recording the highest average speed of the event so far, Sainz was fastest, while an excellent second fastest time by Solberg saw the Subaru star move up the overall leaderboard and into the points. Fastest Time: Sainz (Citroen) 9:52.6 SS20 1156hrs Schönes Moselland 2 (15.29km) After picking up a 20 second penalty for leaving the preceding service two minutes late, Markko Martin put his earlier transmission problems behind him and stormed through the repeated Schönes Moselland test to end's Citroen's stage win monopoly. Team-mate Duval was second fastest with Loeb third. Burns and Solberg took the next two positions to round off the top five. No such luck for local hero Armin Schwarz. Lying in thirteenth place overall, the Hyundai driver struggled through the test with a turbo problem and dropped over a minute. After the finish crews completed the 7.91km road section to the start of SS21. Fastest Time: Martin (Ford) 9:25.7 SS21 1226hrs Moselwein 2 (16.55km) 
Another stage win for Martin on the penultimate test. The Estonian finished 2.3 seconds clear of the rest of the field, but it wasn't enough to catch McRae in the overall standings and at the finish he remained fifth overall. Loeb was second fastest to extend his lead to 13 seconds, while Gronholm was third to maintain second ahead of Burns. Suffering a spin on a hairpin and losing 12.9 seconds, Ford's Francois Duval conceded overall sixth place back to Carlos Sainz, as the pair continued to trade positions. Feeling in much better health, Petter Solberg continued to his spirited run and was fourth fastest. Czech driver Roman Kresta failed to even start the test due to a broken brake disc on his Bozian Racing prepared Peugeot 206.Fastest Time: Martin (Ford) 10:31.2 SS22 1344hrs St.Wenderler Land 2 (19.93km) Sebastien Loeb cruised through the final stage of the day to take the seventh fastest time and claim his second consecutive win at Rally Deutschland and third of this WRC career. Despite complaining that his tyres were worn before the start, Marcus Gronholm finished second fastest in his 206WRC to take second, while Burns was fifth fastest for the final podium position. Martin was fastest to take his tenth stage win of the event and secure overall fifth, while McRae took fourth. Martin was later named Inmarsat's Star of the Rally. Fastest Time: Martin (Ford) 10:32.3 Team Quotes David Lapworth, 555 Subaru World Rally Team Principal "It's nice to see today that with Petter's improving health he was able to put in some very competitive times in both wet and dry conditions. Over the last couple of days, we've learnt a lot about tyres and set ups, which should put us in a good position for the future tarmac events this season." 
Petter Solberg"I'm back to 100 per cent now, but wish I'd been feeling like this on Friday! Nothing changed with the car, but on the first day I was feeling terrible and my form wasn't right. I'm a bit disappointed with myself, but that's just how it is sometimes. We've had a such positive day today though, the weather and our tyre choices have been just right, and we've been able to be far more competitive." |
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Next Event Round nine of the 2003 World Rally Championship starts in less than two weeks time, when teams travel to Finland. Regarded as the spiritual home of rallying, the classic gravel event features a series of high-speed stages through the forests surrounding the university town of Jyvaskyla. His home event, Tommi Mäkinen will be looking for a good result, having won the event five times previously. Starting from Jyvaskyla Thursday 7 August, the event includes 23 stages and 403.34 competitive kilometres. The winning car is expected to cross the finish ramp at 1546hrs on 10 August. |
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