Event Bulletin
10 Aug. 2003
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 Rally Finland
7 to 10 Aug. 2003
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Itinerary | |
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Leg3 Report | ||
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Leg3 Report
Event Bulletin 10 Aug. 2003 |
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Starters42 of the original 71 competitors left Jyvaskyla parc ferme at 0800hrs this morning Route The shortest of the event, Leg 3 comprised 100.90 competitive kilometres and six stages (two were repeated twice). Stages were based north and east of Jyvaskyla Weather Conditions remained fresh, but dry all day. Air temperatures started at 12ºC this morning, rising to 18ºC by the afternoon. Stages were gravel with some damp sections 555 Subaru World Rally Team Summary Locked in a thrilling battle for second place, Subaru driver Petter Solberg delivered a faultless performance at the wheel of his Impreza today. He set a string of consistently fast times and clinched two stage wins before overturning Richard Burns' overnight advantage and snatching second from him on the very last stage. The incredible performance earned him eight Championship points, and the title of Inmarsat Star of the rally. The highest placed Finnish driver, Tommi Makinen, secured sixth overall to net a further three WRC Championship points. Between them, the drivers collected eleven Manufacturers' points for Subaru. Stage Reports SS18 0856hrs Parkkola 1 (19.88km) Cheered on by his league of Estonian supporters, who had turned out in their tens of thousands to support their hero, Ford's Markko Martin was right back on the attack this morning and topped the times to take the stage win. Subaru's Petter Solberg continued his excellent run and was second fastest, enough to catapult him up the leaderboard from fourth to second overall, while Burns was third, the same position that he fell to overall. Sainz was fourth fastest, despite damaging a wheel rim, which affected the handling of his Citroen. Last used in 2000, a huge jump 250km from the start launched many cars more than 60 metres through the air - a sharp wake up call for the drivers and a severe test of their car's suspension. After the finish crews moved directly to the start of SS19. Fastest Time: Martin (Ford) 9:53.0 SS19 0956hrs Mökkiperä 1 (13.96km) 
With nine consecutive adverse camber, sixth-gear jumps in the first 1.5km, the Mokkipera test demanded the ultimate in precision driving - but they proved no problem for Subaru's Petter Solberg. With his Impreza airborne for the much of the first section, the Norwegian displayed a consistent driving rhythm and carefully negotiated the tricky test to finish second fastest, ahead of Martin, Loeb and Sainz. But it was tight at the top and seeking to snatch back overall second, Burns was on a charge. Taking the stage win and finishing 0.3 seconds faster than Solberg, at the finish just 0.6 seconds separated the pair. Further down the order, there was disaster for Ford's Duval and Hyundai's Valimaki. Striking the same rock 6km from the start, the pair both ripped a wheel off their cars and retired from the rally.Fastest Time: Burns (Peugeot) 6:56.0 SS20 1030hrs Palsankylä (25.46km) In a nail-biting stage, Martin continued his excellent run through the 25km Palsankyla test to finish third fastest and maintain his overall lead of more than a minute. But all eyes were on the battle for second. Clearly on a charge, Burn's set the fastest time to snatch back the potential silver place from Subaru star Solberg - but it was close and, with the pair in a league of their own, Solberg was just 2.2 seconds slower. Incredibly, after more than 350 kilometres, at the finish and the pair were separated by only 1.8 seconds. No leading competitors were caught out by the test's vast jump, which elevated some cars more than 3 metres off the ground, and after the finish crews returned to Jyvaskyla for service. Fastest Time: Burns (Peugeot) 13:31.2 
SS21 1238hrs Kuohu (7.76km)The intense battle for second again spurred Burns to go fastest through the short test and the Brit inched another 1.3 seconds ahead of Solberg. At the finish 3.1 seconds separated the duo. Despite claiming he would drive fairly slowly through the final loop of stages, Martin was second fastest, while Solberg, cheered on by his loyal fan club, was third. His damper and wheel problems having been fixed in the preceding service, Citroen's leading driver Sainz was back on the pace and was fourth fastest, completing the test just 0.1 seconds faster than local Finn, Tommi Mäkinen. Fastest Time: Burns (Peugeot) 3:45.3 SS22 1305hrs Parkkola 2 (19.88km) Solberg, Burns and Martin were in a class of their own through the repeated Parkkola stage - although it was the Subaru driver that had the edge and took the stage win. Clawing back 1.3 seconds from second fastest Burns, the Norwegian was on maximum attack and delighted his fans by reducing the overall gap between the pair to just 1.8 seconds. With one more stage to run, the tense battle for overall second would go right to the wire. Citroen's Loeb was fourth, closely matched by Sainz and Mäkinen, who were fifth and sixth respectively. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 9:39.7 
SS23 1405hrs Mökkiperä 2 (13.96km)After a tense struggle, Burns began the rally's closing stage with less than 2 seconds between himself and third placed Petter Solberg - making it a test of nerves. Setting equally quick times, the pair were neck-and-neck through the early part of the stage, but as the tension mounted, it was Solberg that managed to pull ahead. Finishing 3 seconds ahead of the Brit, the Subaru driver took the stage win, and claimed overall second - his highest ever result in Finland. Burns had to settle for third. Markko Martin maintained his consistently fast pace to finish third fastest and secure his second ever WRC win. He won by a margin of 58.9 seconds. Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 6:47.8 Team Quotes David Lapworth, 555 Subaru World Rally Team Principal "That was pretty exciting, wasn't it? An incredible performance from Petter and Phil, the whole team is delighted for them, although it was a bit cruel of him to keep us guessing right up until the end! He's level with Marcus now and just eleven points off the lead of the Championship. Both cars have run fantastically, and we'll take a great deal of confidence with us to Australia." 
Petter Solberg"We've taken quite a few risks all rally, and I feel I've been driving over the limit for most of the time. For the whole day today, I've been flat out and tried my best to catch Richard, but, on that last stage, there are lots of long corners and medium fast sections and I knew I had a chance to catch him. I tell you, I pushed so hard on that last one (SS23). We almost lost it on the first corner, but I kept on going. At one point, I was standing in my seat with all my weight on the throttle pedal - I actually bent it! I know it's not quite a win, but it certainly feels like one!" Tommi Mäkinen "It's good to finish in the points here, but I think my performance was only about 70% of what it could have been. There have been quite a lot of small things that have held me back, so overall not such a good weekend. Petter deserves his result, he did a great job." |
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Next Event Teams cross the globe to Australia for the tenth round of the FIA World Rally Championship. Beginning on Thursday 4 September, the rally will be based around the Western Australia capital city of Perth. With much of the rally contested on gravel roads through forests south and east of the host city, crews will face 386.31 competitive kilometres and 24 gravel stages. |
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